


What if Leon was Smart?

by chberry



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: but this isn’t romance-centric, class trials are a bitch, female pronouns for chihiro at the beginning, kanon only mentioned, leon likes zombie books, maybe leon and sayaka, monokuma sucks, no beta we die like men, people do be using their brains, people still die, sayaka is bi, toko bothers celeste
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:14:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 33,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23487385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chberry/pseuds/chberry
Summary: Sure, Sayaka tried to kill Leon. But Leon used his head and not "self defense."
Comments: 30
Kudos: 90





	1. PART 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there will be six parts, like the chapters in-game, although saying "chapters" would be very confusing

Leon stared at the bathroom door, exhausted and shaking. Events of the past couple minutes ran through his head as he panted, waiting.

He had received a note slipped under his door, addressed to him from Sayaka. The note invited Leon to her room, claiming that she wanted to discuss something with him. Of course, he didn’t suspect her and came over, wanting to talk. Leon calmly walked from his room to the room with her nameplate. He had rang the buzzer and waited. Sayaka opened the door with that cheery smile of hers, although she had one hand behind her back. He entered the room and shut the door behind him. What had Sayaka wanted to discuss? Could it be about escaping the school? It could be. Was she showing interest in him? Probably best not to get his hopes up, although who could resist him? Whatever it was, he never thought that it was about escaping the school the dirty way, the way _that bear_ had said.

So imagine his surprise when Sayaka lunged towards him, revealing the knife she clasped in her hand and the murderous intent in her eyes.

Leon grabbed the nearest object to him, a long, sheathed sword covered in gold dusting. He blocked Sayaka’s knife, then accidentally hit her arm. She dropped the knife in shock and pain and scurried to the bathroom. He had seen the panic in her eyes as she saw her plan falling apart. He let out a breath he had been holding, feeling his heartbeat accelerate and his arms drop to his sides, numb.

Leon had to get away. He would not kill. He would do anything in his power to spite the ugly bear. He couldn’t kill, not when he had so much to live for. He would not become a murderer. 

“Hey Sayaka? I’m leaving. I can’t believe you. Don’t come near me tomorrow.” His teeth chattered although Sayaka couldn’t tell, too focused on the doorknob to the bathroom. Leon walked away from the door, sword in hand. Why did she even have a sword in her room?

Sayaka could hear the sword clatter back into place on its stand, as well as the quick footsteps that became quieter as Leon ran away. She heard the door to “her” room slam shut and her eyelids closed from exhaustion, terror, and relief as she slid down against the door onto the ground.

Leon slumped against the door of his room, breathless and with the King Midas touch, apparently. He trudged to his bed, flopping on top of the blue covers. His heartbeat was loud in his head. His thoughts were muddy. He still couldn’t believe Sayaka was so weak that she went ahead and made a murder plot. It was inconceivable, yet here he was, sweaty, out of breath, thoughts racing, but mostly angry at his inability to see this coming.

He would’ve splashed cool water on his face if not for the faucets being turned off during night time. What time was it? How late had he waited to speak with Sayaka? Was it because of his waiting that her movements had been slowed down with fatigue and worry? Was that what had saved him? Was it the fact that he had a fast reaction time because of his baseball experience? Why did she target him? Was he an easy target? Why? Why? WHY?

There was only one thing that Leon wanted, and it was evading him at all costs. Sleep. He needed rest. His thoughts needed to empty so that he could leave the past behind. He didn’t want to worry. He wanted to sleep. Why did this happen to him? It hadn’t even been a day and he had already walked the line between existence and death. He survived, escaped, but why did it feel like this? The sleepless nights that he had before and after games, the whole reason he wanted to quit baseball in the first place.

Was he a coward? Sayaka had definitely planned to kill him, so it was only natural that he ran away. Should he go back to talk with her? To try to calm her down? That could be a good idea, but he remembered that he told her to back off, to not speak with him anymore. He was scared. What if she hurt herself? Her resolve couldn’t be that strong, could it? However much he worried, there was nothing he could do. 

“God fucking damn! What the hell.”

It was too late at night for this. Leon needed to calm down. So he did what he did every time. He put painful pressure on his thumb and thought of everything drowning his mind with worry. Sayaka. Baseball. The killing game. That damned bear. This creepy school. That gold sword. His family. The outside world. His loud heartbeat. His own uncertainty. 

Then he released. He took the pressure off his thumb and with it, all the intrusive thoughts occupying his mind. He thought of his cousin. He thought of the vast world and all the opportunities it held. He thought about the students that he met recently who had seen the bright side of the situation that he could not.

Had Leon been less focused on his own escape and more observant of his surroundings, he would have seen the door to Yasuhiro Hagakure’s room wide open.

* * *

The next day, Leon met up with many other students in the dining hall. All but Byakuya, Toko, Hiro, Hifumi, Celeste and Sayaka were there. He was worried that maybe Sayaka had gone and hurt herself over her failed attempt, seeing as she usually showed up before him. After a minute or so, Hifumi returned to the dining hall, followed by Celeste not a moment later, with a scowl on her face. While the students chatted, Toko stalked into the dining hall, and Byakuya a few minutes after. Everyone but Sayaka and Hiro had returned.

The students mused about how it wasn’t like Sayaka to be late, and it was a bit odd that Hiro hadn’t appeared. 

“I-I need to go... I have to check on her!” Makoto blurted and ran towards the dorms. Leon wanted to stop him, to warn him to not trust her, that she was dangerous and that her thoughts had turned to murder. By that time he was far gone.

“Perhaps we should search for Hiro too,” said Sakura, unfazed by Makoto’s spontaneous reaction.

“Why don’t we split into three groups? One to search the gym area for Hiro, one to search this building, and one to follow Makoto?” Celeste suggested sweetly, although Leon noted that this was a facade.

“Do as you wish. I’m not involved.” Byakuya spat. Toko nodded, “I-I agree. I won’t—I’m not gonna let yo-you guys order me around!”

How irritating. “Okay then, you can do nothing and we’ll group up and do something. It’s not like we need you guys anyways.” Leon hissed.

“Okay then,” Kyoko spoke before Byakuya could get angry, and an odd silence washed over the room. “I’ll group with Leon and Mondo to help Makoto. Taka, go with Chihiro, Hina, and Sakura to search around the gym. The rest of you look around here.” She promptly walked away, followed by Leon and Mondo.

Kyoko led the two towards the open door, the one with Sayaka’s nameplate on it that Makoto had definitely gone into. She entered the room to survey the damage of the night before. There was gold dust and a knife on the floor. The nearby table had been overturned. Makoto was sitting on the floor next to the open bathroom door. His eyes were dark, his head facing down. And next to him, Sayaka lay, her body sprawled on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! Sorry!  
> This is my first story so leave comments on what you think could be done better.  
> I will have the next chapter out 4/7 at the latest.  
> Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoko goes after Makoto, Celeste looks around the dorms, and Taka searches near the gym.

Kyoko steadily dropped to her knees, putting her hand against Makoto’s neck. He didn’t respond, but she felt the soft rhythmic thumps, confirming his being. Leon wasn’t surprised that the small kid was unconscious. Makoto didn’t strike him as one to be able to deal with the death of his new friends. Actually, wait. Was she dead, or just unresponsive?

Kyoko quietly ordered Mondo to move Makoto to the bed, out of her way so that she could observe Sayaka. He obliged, throwing the still body onto the bed with ease but a bit too much force. No one spared him even a glance. Kyoko held a gloved hand to the girl’s colorless neck. That couldn’t be a good sign. Lack of color always signified lack of life, at least in the books Leon had read over the years. He was quite surprised that he could keep his own breath steady, with the implications of what could have happened to Sayaka too clear and close for comfort.

“She’s alive.” Kyoko’s words were stale, sounding devoid of interest instead of the relief that Leon had expected. “She appears to have been sweating a lot, and when she wakes up she will need a lot of water. I trust that I can leave that to you, Leon.” Her gaze turned up to where Leon stood. There was something under that gaze that Leon couldn’t put a finger on. Was it suspicion? Distrust? Distaste?

“Leave it to me.” Of course he had to accept, it would look too odd if he didn’t. Especially when Kyoko looked a lot sharper than the other students. An air of question surrounded her, and the only thing the group knew about her was her name. She gave away nothing, her clothing was generic, her movements calm and untelling, and her face said that she knew she was the smartest in the room. Leon couldn’t possibly refuse.

“Also, look after Makoto. He needs water less than her, but when he wakes up I have some questions. I don’t know what went down in this room.” With that, Kyoko turned away from the girl on the ground and started to search the room. Her eyes scanned, noting everything out of place. 

Kyoko noticed that although this room definitely had Sayaka’s nameplate, on the map in their ehandbooks this room was labeled as Makoto’s. He had definitely raced to this room, and the door was open, meaning that etiher he had the key or the door was unlocked already. What arrangement had he made with the girl slumped on the floor? Kyoko turned towards the wall. She would probe both Makoto and Sayaka when they were conscious enough to give straight answers. There was nothing she could do about them at that point.

* * *

Celeste weaved her way around the table, wordlessly followed by Junko and Hifumi. If they dared so much as step in her way, she would no doubt put them in their place, she was sure. 

“So where’re we gonna go first?” Junko asked bluntly, although not wanting to upset Celeste, a scowl littered across her face.

Celeste paused, then kept walking. “Why don’t we check his dorm first, to confirm whether Hiro is or is not there,” she said in a bittersweet tone. It was clear she didn’t want to be stuck on search duty and would much rather be drinking her tea and staring at the fake landscape outside the dining hall windows.

They snaked their way past the open door where Kyoko currently investigated. Celeste snuck a glance inside the room. It was a mess, not that she was very surprised. Sayaka wasn’t one to show up late without good reason. Celeste wondered if she had gotten herself killed. Too bad.

Celeste couldn’t tell just by looking down the hall whether or not Hiro’s door was open. Her legs carried her almost weightlessly, a twang of irritation in a far corner of her mind. What a hassle. Her arms were used to gain momentum rather than swing aimlessly at her sides. She was almost certain Hiro would be dead. She was sure someone, or _all of them_ , would face consequences for a killing. It had been too long. The motive was too heavy for someone to not do something. The corners of her mouth lifted into a small grin. How interesting this would turn out, if it was true that Hiro was undeniably dead.

Celeste turned the corner. She was right. His door was wide open. How had nobody noticed this? How sad of her stupid little classmates.

Celeste peeled her eyes away from the door and into the room. It was devoid of anything. There was a crystal ball on the table, but nothing out of the ordinary for a fortune teller. Except for the fortune teller, who wasn’t there. Where could he be? A needle of annoyance sewed its way into her brain. He had probably wandered off and gotten killed. How irritating. Why couldn’t he just comply and die right in his room?

Maybe the group sent to the other part of the building would find Hiro. Maybe he was alive and well, just lost. Maybe they’d find him stabbed to death with a knife sticking out of his chest and a sequence of numbers on the wall behind him. Celeste let out a low chuckle, wondering how the group would fare. All of them were cowards. Taka was too naive, he only listened to rules, not people. Hina was very kind and light-hearted, but useless during a murder. Celeste didn’t even want to think about how poorly Chihiro would act, clearly the weakest of the bunch. Sakura had muscles, but no brain. How unfortunate.

“Okay. Hiro isn’t here. Now whadda we do?” Junko asked, though her voice was far off and she was examining her nails.

“I can check the laundry room. Hifumi, you check the storage room and Junko, check the trash room.” How awful of her, sending the fashionista to the trash room.

“What?! No I’LL check the storage room and this guy will check the trash room, won'tcha, buddy!” Junko retorted, her cheeks flushing. Hifumi nodded weakly.

Celeste sighed. “Very well. Let out a yell if you find anything, and I’ll come find you.” They separated.

Celeste tread towards the laundry room. Her arms swung lightly at her sides, her pace steady.

* * *

Taka led the three girls towards the gym. They had looked inside the classrooms, only finding the crude messages obviously written by Monokuma. Man did they hate that awful bear. The large red doors didn’t even budge, even when Sakura used all her strength to try to open them. It was a lost cause. The only thing in the AV Room was the cruel reminder that their families and loved ones were held hostage and that they were powerless to stop it. The school store wasn’t helpful, and the nurses office was locked. The “exit” of the school was pointless as well, nothing but the large door that stood imposingly, taunting them and their inability to leave. There was nothing of importance in the bathrooms, which led them to the final place worth going: The Gym. 

And so Taka put a steady hand on the handle to the display area in front. There couldn’t possibly be anything to worry about. The other students were much too sensible to do anything as rash as what that monster had told them they needed to do. It wouldn’t have as much as crossed his own mind. But then again, the situation they were in could drive anyone to do anything, and it wasn’t like a lot of people listened to him, no, quite the opposite. The two most disagreeable were Togami and Owada. They seemed to despise his attempt to restore order over the other students. Suddenly the possibility of finding Hiro in a pool of his own blood wasn’t as much as a far off twisted fantasy. It was real. It could be real.

“Hey Taka? Are you alright?” A worried whisper broke Taka’s increasingly negative train of thought. No, he mustn't show weakness, not in front of his class, much less the three girls behind him. He turned around to face the voice, his blood red eyes meeting soft brown ones. He smiled at the short girl.

“Yes Of Course. Let’s Go On!” Triumphantly, he turned the handle and braced himself for the worse.

Nothing. There wasn’t anything. Of course there wasn’t. Why had he been so worried? His trust in his classmates had really slipped. Turns out there was nothing to worry about. His illusions had blinded him to the reality. Of course nothing was wrong, his classmates were much too strong for that, no matter what they seemed like.

Then the monitor dinged four times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fixed the notes! I think  
> Next update by 4/9


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sayaka wakes up and Monokuma shocks everyone.

A bright yellow light pierced through darkness. Little white spots danced across her vision, and Sayaka could hear a light drumming towards the back of her skull. A small, tan face hovered into view, eyes bright though their outline fuzzy.

“She’s awake! Finally!” Hina beamed, too loud. Sayaka winced, the light drumming becoming louder and more into an intense hammering.

A cool tone cut through the air. “Get her some water. I have some questions, but make sure she's hydrated.” A purple glove made its way to Sayaka’s neck, and a shiver danced down her spine. “She’s responsive. Good.” Sayaka glanced over to the body connected to the arm, eyes meeting with Kyoko’s blank stare, causing her to look away sharply.

“Ow! Sorry.” Her head pounded. The hammer had made its way to the front, and jerking her head hadn’t helped. Sayaka slowly stretched her arms out behind her in a lazy attempt to sit up. A hand invited itself up her back, helping her sit up.

“What’s going on? Why are you all gathered around me?” She surveyed the crowd, finding looks of worry and confusion staring back at her. She froze. “Where’s Makoto?”

“He’s on a bleacher back there.” Sakura pointed behind Sayaka’s head, but she couldn’t make the effort to turn her head. Not when the pounding was everywhere. “You woke up before him.”

“Hey. Drink up.” A friendly hand passed her a plastic bottle. Sayaka unscrewed the cap, thankful that not all her strength had been sapped. She didn’t realize how parched she was until the water hit the back of her throat. Sayaka moved her eyes up to see who gave her the water and froze. An icy gaze met hers, fire surrounding the vision. He didn’t look angry, despite what she tried to pull.

Memories of the previous night came rushing back, making her pounding headache more severe. Wasn’t he mad? The oversized paper clip dangled menacingly from his collar, which only reminded her of her failure. Leon wouldn’t even be in her vicinity unless threatened, right? He even said he didn’t want to be near her.

“You must be confused.” Sayaka turned her head towards the voice, Kyoko’s voice. “We found you passed out on the floor of your, well, _technically_ Makoto’s bathroom.”

Ah. Right. Makoto’s room. She had traded rooms with him, hadn’t she. How would she tell the others without making herself look weak, like the attempted murderer she was?

“Don’t worry. Whatever you say will stay between us, unless I deem it important enough to share. You can tell me everything.” Kyoko offered a sliver of a smile, although it vanished as though it had never appeared in the first place.

“Why are we all in the gym? Aren’t there better things to do?” Sayaka shook her head.

“Sh-Shouldn't it be obvious?” Toko said, teeth grinding her thumbnail. “Monok-kuma… he told us all to c-come here…”

“Well, Hold On! Don't Talk Like That.” Taka interjected. “We All Protested It! But, Well. Something… something bad happened.” He looked down, ashamed he had to even deliver any news.

“I'm the one who convinced them to come.” Kyoko looked at Sayaka sternly. “Right now, we need to do whatever he says. We're his prisoners, right? It's not a good idea to defy him without reason. We don't need to make any more sacrifices than we already have…”

Sacrifices?

Sayaka flinched as a small thud rumbled under her, and the students surrounding her looked up. Hina was the first to race over to the boy, now flat on his face and groaning from the sharp pain spreading from his forehead.

“Makoto! Makoto! You’re awake! Hey, are you okay?”

“Huh?” Makoto let out a breath, “yeah, I think? What’s going on?”

“You were unconscious,” Sakura replied, “Mondo carried you and Sayaka here.”

Panic struck through his voice as he yelled, “Sayaka! Is she okay? I found her, she, she collapsed on the floor and I freaked out and, and, oh my god.” Sayaka cringed. She didn’t want to worry her friend like this. Not right now. Not after what she was planning to do. She didn’t deserve this.

“Makoto?” Sayaka whispered. “Hey. I’m here. I’m fine.” She could sense the relief in the air as Makoto’s loud breaths slowed and the bleachers stopped vibrating. She didn’t even realize he was shaking. She doubted he heard her words, but he heard her voice.

“Now that you two are awake and the rest of us are present,” Celeste broke through the fragile silence, “we found a body. A dead body.” The words rang through Sayaka’s head. No way. Someone had died? She had been so frantic to search for Makoto that she didn’t notice anyone else gone.

“Who?” Makoto spoke. His words were hollow, oozing with dread at the thought of his friends. Sayaka felt it. The terror that she would cause him, had her plan worked. She should’ve been sad. That she couldn’t save her bandmates, at the anger Leon undoubtedly held against her, at how Makoto’s words could be pointed at her.

“Hiro. We found Hiro in the laundry room.” Celeste replied steadily.

“Well isn’t it _obvious_ , then, that Monokuma killed him?” Makoto spat.

“I would never do such a thing, no no no!” At the mention of his name, Monokuma popped up seemingly out of nowhere, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

“You!” Leon pointed an accusing finger at him.

“Unless someone violates a school regulation, I absolutely will not interfere.” He placed his paws on his belly and laughed. “I can promise you, I won't do anything that goes against the purpose of your school life here. I'm famous at safari parks throughout the world for following the ‘Bear-Times-One’ rule!”

Chihiro’s eyes teared up. “Then who did it? Who killed him?”

“Well, you already know _that_ answer! The one who killed him is…” he paused, eyeing everyone in the crowd, “one of you!” He shifted his glance from one side to the other. “Aw, what’s the matter?” Monokuma tilted his head and grinned innocently. “You guys all look like you’re about to see a goat get blasted with a bazooka!” He threw his head back and laughed. “One of you decided to kill Hiro so that you could graduate! Someone’s just following the rules. There’s nothing wrong with that!”

Sayaka stood up. “No way. You’re lying… right?”

“Of course he’s lying! I’m telling you. He killed him!” Makoto agreed, small bits of confidence boiling inside him.

Monokuma just shook his head dismissively. “Nope, sorry. One of you is now a bona fide killer. If they wanted to, the one who did it could testify to that little fact.”

“What?” Sayaka turned her eyes towards the crowd to see that every person had the same expression of fear, suspicion, and confusion.

“A-Are you serious?” A tear trickled down Chihiro’s cheek.

“Someone… Someone Killed Someone!” Taka yelled, hand now on his forehead.

Celeste twirled her hair in her hand. “It is amazing what some people are capable of.”

“Hey hold on!” Mondo interjected, face turning pale. “Don’t just assume he’s telling the truth!”

“That’s enough.” Sayaka snapped her head towards the voice, which belonged to one arrogant, and currently ticked off affluent progeny. “Before we do anything else, I’d like to confirm something with the stuffed animal here.” He glanced down, crossing his arms. “If one of us really did kill him, that person gets to graduate from the school, right?”

The bear only cocked his head.

“Don’t play dumb! That’s what you said, isn’t it!? If you kill someone, you get to leave!”

Monokuma started to shake. Afraid he would combust again, Sayaka braced herself and closed her eyes. He roared. His laughter shook the room, to the point where she had to cover her ears.

“Why are you laughing?” Hifumi asked, sweat forming at his temple.

“Puhu… it’s cause… naive… you’re just so naive! You think it’s really that easy?” His mouth snapped shut, the air completely changing around him. “You think you can just kill someone and waltz on outta here? You’re super naive! Devilishly naive! Hellishly naive! No no no, the real thing has just begun.”

Sayaka stared in disbelief. How was _murder_ not the real thing?

“Are you ready!?” The headmaster continued. “Allow me to explain the second part of the rule regarding graduation! Just like I explained before, you must kill someone if you want to leave. However...even if you do that, there's still one more part to the agreement you have to uphold, remember?”

Celeste leaned her chin on her fist. “You are referring to rule number six of the school regulations… If you are the blackened that committed murder, you can’t be found out by the other students. That is what you are talking about, no?”

“Bingo! It’s not enough just to kill someone. You have to actually get away with it! Which naturally means you need a system in place to assess whether or not it’s been gotten away with!” He threw his arms above his head. “So, a certain amount of time after a murder has taken place, a class trial will begin! It'll begin a few hours after the murder! Everyone will gather together, including the blackened who committed the murder. And they and the spotless students will all engage in one big debate showdown!”

The air suddenly changed, and Monokuma’s voice sounded a bit different, although Sayaka couldn’t place what was off. “During the trial, you'll have to present your arguments about who you think the blackened is. And once everything comes to an end, the outcome will be decided by popular vote! If the answer you've arrived at is correct...only the one that disturbed your peace will be punished. The rest may continue their communal life. However...if you choose poorly...then the one who got away with murder will survive, and the rest of you will receive your punishment. Which of course means your school life will come to an end! As far as class trial rules go...that's all there is to it!”

Hifumi took the chance to ask the question on everyone’s minds. “So, um… what exactly is this punishment you keep talking about…?”

“Oh! Well, to put it simply…” he paused, pushing his robot hand into the air, “It’s execution!”

Execution?

“Execution is...execution. Ex-e-cution! Electric chair, bzzt bzzt! Poison gas, cough cough! Torn apart like a paper plane in a hurricane!”

Taka took a loud step back. “S-So, To Make Sure I Understand... If We Get The Culprit Right, Then Only They Die. But If We Get It Wrong...All The Rest Of Us Get...Executed?”

“What a smart little chimpanzee you are! Look at you, implying you didn't do it without actually saying it! So it's basically what the outside world calls a ‘lay judge’ system, or an inquisition type thing! Which means you'll be deciding who you think the killer is. But judge carefully, because all your lives are on the line!” The bear’s grin dropped. “Okay, let me just add the rule I just described to your handbook. Make sure to keep it in mind!”

Sayaka’s handbook dinged as her eyes lost focus. Ah. So that was the catch. Of course they wouldn’t be able to leave without a trial. She would have lost. She would have completely and impeccably lost, in the most perfect, ironic way possible. Of course she had lost. Even before her plan had gone into motion, before the start, she had lost. The one she had planned to pin the blame, those innocent yet mechanical eyes, that cheeky smile, so full of life. He would shoot through all her lies. He was her hero, and there was no way he could lose. And she would die.

Sayaka shut her eyes, letting out a small chuckle.

“That’s it. Sh-she’s completely lost it! She’s cra-gone in-insane!” Toko quivered, tugging on her braids.

“Oh, what’s this? Admitting guilt, perhaps?” Celeste stared at Sayaka, although her red eyes weren’t met.

“Hey,” Makoto interjected, “isn’t it a bit too early to throw around accusations?” How amazing of him, saving her again. It was like when he saved that bird. Perhaps she, in the moment, was that crane. Of course she could do things on her own, but she let herself be indulgent, just this once. Let her be saved. 

The bickering continued, as did Monokuma’s explanation. Sayaka didn’t pay either any attention, because she knew when the time came, Makoto would help. Makoto would save her. He would save all of them. 

A squelch pulled Sayaka from her train of thought completely. What was this? In front of her eyes was Junko, sitting upright, red dripping from her mouth, periwinkle eyes quickly losing focus, wide open. Uniform deteriorating, out of place, not meant to be covered in blood. _Blood_. Spears protruded out of every angle of her body. Shoulders, chest, arms, stomach, thighs, right hand.

“…Wh…? H-Huh? This wasn't…su-supposed to… Why…me…?”

She fell onto her back, a pool forming under her.

Dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next update by 4/11  
> also wow this is double the length of the last two chapters combined almost  
> also also I did mention that Leon hit Sayaka's arm but please pretend he didn't break her wrist and that she just has a bruise  
> anyways thank you and see you next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Investigation!

“Wh-What the…”

“I don't…”

“Th-This can't be real.”

“NO WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!”

Shock echoed throughout the gym. The bear seemed to pay the students no attention, instead monologuing for his own amusement.

“Now I am painfully aware of the great power and meaning of a promise... I really wanted to keep a corpse from popping up for no good reason, y’know? But I guess you all needed to be taught a lesson, after all. Ahh, what an amazing promise! But now you guys understand, right? Now you see just how serious I am... Defy me and you get shot full of holes, exploded, buried alive, disintegrated...et cetera. So if you don't want that to happen to you, you'd best obey those school regulations! It's really not all that shocking. She just died, that's all. Just went and died. It's no more remarkable than the inevitable demise of the entire human race. It's just as natural as the eventual end of the world itself. This isn't some superhero comic. So it's not like when you die, you didn't *really* die. This is reality!”

Kyoko crossed her arms, brows furrowing. “Why did you have to kill her? Didn't you say you would put her in prison or something?”

Monokuma turned his back. “I changed my mind.”

“No, you’ve been wanting to kill this entire time.”

“Kill this entire time? Don’t be silly, you can’t kill time! Or are you being metaphorical? Are you saying I wanted to waste time this whole time?” The tips of his ears reddened. “Come on, what do you take me for. I’m Monokuma!” He wiped all traces of previous expression off his face. “Anyways, none of that matters right now. I have something I’d like to give you to help you in your search for the blackened!”

Monokuma reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out a thin, black file with a large red 1 on the cover. “This little file has all the information I’ve gathered about the death in question. I like to call it the Monokuma file! I mean, _naturally_ you guys aren’t experts at this kind of thing, so you can only do so much with a corpse. So instead, I’ve gathered up everything I know about the circumstances of the death.”

Kyoko grimaced. _She_ knew about murder. She was more than qualified to handle bodies. Of course she wa—wait. What?

Everyone sealed their lips. “What’s that? How do I know the cause of death, you ask? Cause the surveillance cameras picked up the whole thing! I got to see it all go down!”

Kyoko felt her muscles tense. “Wait, so then… you know who killed Hiro?”

“Of course I do! If I didn’t, I couldn’t possibly pass a fair and accurate judgement during the trial, could I?”

“That’s a good point.” Kyoko closed her eyes, a pleased look crawling onto her face. “The judge has to be able to make the proper decision. That’s… somehow comforting.”

“Now then, please put your full effort behind your investigation! After all, you don't have any choice but to give it your best shot! Seriously, you don't have a choice! Okay, so we'll meet up for the class trial… in a little while!”

And with that, he completely disappeared.

Kyoko turned herself from where the bear once stood back to the group. “Now’s not the time to wallow in your depression. The worst thing we can do is lose faith in everyone. Cooperation is key at this point.”

“Continuing to think about the dead isn’t going to get us anywhere,” pointed out Celeste, twirling her hair in her finger.

“C’mon,” Hina interjected, “saying s-stuff like that—”

“How many times have I told you?” Celeste smiled sweetly, “Anyone who can’t adapt will die.”

“What an awful thing to say!” Hina balled her fingers into a fist.

Kyoko moved her glance passively to the side. “Right now, exposing the killer is the most important thing. Because if we don’t, we’re all going to die here.”

Byakuya nodded his head. “She’s right, we need to begin our search immediately.”

“Either way, we can’t run from the situation, so we have no choice but to move forward,” said Sakura, a stern look on her face.

“No way is someone gonna kill me!” Leon said, eyes flickering over to Sayaka, Kyoko noted. “Alright, let’s do this.”

“Ok. Before we start searching for Hiro’s killer, we need to decide what to do about securing the crime scene.” Kyoko glanced at Mondo, Sakura, Hina, and Leon. They were all involved with sports, meaning they had the best chance of keeping people from tampering with evidence.

“You’re thinking of putting someone on guard duty so nobody can disturb the area, aren’t you? After all, if the culprit decides to destroy the evidence, we’re pretty much screwed.” Byakuya said.

“In that case,” Mondo looked at Byakuya, “I don’t mind doing it. I don’t like having to think, anyway. I’ll let you guys figure out who killed that guy.”  
Hina smiled. “Okay then, Mondo can look after the scene.” 

“Well, no.” Byakuya sneered. “We can’t just leave him alone there.”

“What? Why the hell not!”

“Isn’t it obvious? If you were the culprit, you could easily destroy all the evidence you want.”

“Wh—? You know what, fuck you!”

Sakura crossed her arms. “Fine, then I’ll stay on guard duty as well. That way there’s no problem. Since we won’t be able to help investigate, we’re putting our faith in the rest of you.”

“Are we done chatting?” Kyoko shook her head disapprovingly. “We need to begin our investigation soon. At this point, we should split up. We need to get to the bottom of this and find out who killed Hiro. We'll have to collect clues to form a foundation, then construct an argument to come to a final decision. If we get this wrong…” she smiled slowly, “well, need I say more?”

“I’d rather you didn’t.” Hifumi cast his gaze downwards, looking a bit sick.

“Everyone pray for good luck.” Kyoko turned on her heel and exited the gym for the laundry room.

Kyoko looked at her handbook, pulling up the now accessible section labeled “truth bullets.” It looked like a simple notes application, although the data from the Monokuma file had been loaded there. She selected the file and began to read.  
_The victim was Yasuhiro Hagakure. The time of death is estimated to be around 12:20 a.m. The body was discovered in the school’s laundry room, and strong evidence suggests he was killed there as well. The cause of death was blunt force to the head. There are also two other injuries to the head that don’t appear to be from the killing blow._

Kyoko placed her handbook in her pocket as she arrived at the laundry room. It seemed that she would have to observe the wound after all. Hiro’s body lay strewn across the floor, blood on the washing machine and the doorframe. Kyoko noted that he had been standing up when attacked, and the droplets were quite large and angled. She squatted to examine the body.

Unfortunately, Kyoko’s small observations were interrupted by the entrance of Byakuya, shortly followed by Mondo and Sakura.

“Despite the inexperience of many people here, this is quite the clean murder scene.” Byakuya crossed his arms, brow indicating slight amusement.

Kyoko didn’t acknowledge his comment, focused on the location of wounds. It appeared the largest spot of blood on the washer was caused by Hiro falling on it, as a few hairs remained. Another spot of interest was above his right ear, where it appeared that the killer had struck him twice in similar spots. She pulled her handbook out, jotted the “truth bullets” down, and stood up.

Although she was sure Byakuya was running his mouth, she turned and exited. She stepped towards the gray hallway which served as a shortcut to Hiro’s room. As she paced, Kyoko noticed the faintest red under the entrance to the boy’s bathroom. It could’ve been her imagination, but it was better to check.

“Monokuma.”

“Oh just lovely!” The mischievous bear popped up, seemingly annoyed.

Kyoko stared down at the bear. “I was wondering if I could enter the boys bathroom.”  
“You?” Monokuma tilted his head to the side. “But you’re a girl! Don’t tell me, do you want to—”

“No, it’s for the investigation. After all, you want it to be fair, right?”

“Well, if it’s for the trial, I _suppose_.” He grumbled.

“Okay, just checking. I wouldn’t want to trespass the rules.”

“Fine, yeah, whatever, do what you wish.” A slightly dejected sigh left his mouth, and he disappeared. Pleased, Kyoko opened both the girls and boys bathroom doors. She first inspected the girls bathroom just in case the red smudge was to mislead, only to find nothing out of place. Then, she entered the boys bathroom.

It was unsurprisingly underwhelming. Just like the girls bathroom, it had a dark demeanor and a fish tank. However, the last stall had bunches of zip ties on the handle as a makeshift lock. Interesting. She had better check out the storage room for more information. There was also a small bit of a darkened cloth, which seemed to be blue and either yellow or orange before being bloodied. She made note of the “lock” and cloth in her truth bullets and set off to the trash room, just in case. It was on the way to Hiro’s room and was made for getting rid of things. Evidence, perhaps.

At first glance, the trash room didn’t seem bothered. The gate was intact and shut, the incinerator was off, and there was nothing around it. However, hiding in the corner behind the open door was a shred of purple cloth and glass. The color was much like her own blazer, although she couldn’t tell the material. Best to run it under some water to check. The glass was thin and its edge was curved from what Kyoko could see. She recorded this and was on her way.

Kyoko walked swiftly to Hiro’s room. There were other places she needed to check, and she would’ve liked to have time to extract alibis and suspicions before time ran out. The door to the room was still open, which Celeste had observed before she found the body and relayed to Kyoko in the gym. She was buried in her thoughts deeply enough that she almost ran right into the shorter, brown haired boy. 

“Kyoko! Hey. Are you here to investigate?” Makoto asked, a hint of embarrassment quickly hidden.

“Of course. What have you found?” It seemed odd, but Kyoko had great confidence in the boy despite having only met him a few days prior.

“Well, Chihiro stayed with Junko’s body in the gym, and I looked at Hiro’s body. It was…” he looked down, bringing up the memory, “hard to look at. Then Byakuya said something about you being obsessed with dead bodies but, I mean, you know, well… I didn’t _believe_ him.” He shuddered. “Leon said the knife in Sayaka’s room seemed to be from the kitchen, so I went to check and sure enough there was a knife missing. You don’t think that’s related to this, do you?” He looked up.

Kyoko shook her head. “No, we have more pressing issues at hand. Anything else?”

Makoto’s eyes lit up. “Oh yeah! I searched the kitchen and there were a bunch of scissors in the kitchen trash.”

“Oh?” Kyoko raised her eyebrow. “Accompany me to the storage room after I search this room. I need to verify something.” She then brushed past Makoto and into the room. It had all different kinds of fortune telling and divination related items, most of which Kyoko herself couldn’t identify. On the bed was a single piece of paper. Comically scripted handwriting said:

 _Come to the laundry room after midnight. I think I found a way out_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll try to have the next chpater out by the 15th but I might have to push it to Friday because of school  
> also happy birthday to bob who commented on my last chapter! hope this makes your day a bit brighter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More investigation!

_Come to the laundry room after midnight. I think I found a way out_.

Not that that was very surprising. Obviously the killer needed to lure Hiro out of the safety of his room somehow. No, it would take too much time to test everyone’s stationary. Plus, the note could’ve been written from supplies in the storage room. Ah, yes, Kyoko had to check the storage room anyway.

“Was the note the only thing in here?” Kyoko asked, eyeing the rest of the room.

“Yeah. I mean, the door was wide open, so someone could’ve tampered with stuff.”

“No, it doesn’t look like anybody was in a hurry to remove evidence.” She paused, turning her back. “Let’s go.”

The walk to the storage room was silent. Even the patting of footsteps seemed eerily soft. As they were approaching the doorway, Kyoko heard violent whispers. She stuck her hand out, jabbing Makoto in the stomach. As he attempted to cough in surprise, she brought her hand to his mouth. She removed her hand and brought a relaxed finger to her lips.

“So what, are you just going to stand there?” A low, almost foreign feminine voice.

“Is there any-anything I can d-do for you?” Anyone could recognize that stumble of words from a mile away.

“Yes, actually. You can get out of my way and bring me tea.”

“Bu—”

“DON’T argue.”

Toko came barging from the storage room, almost passing Kyoko and Makoto. Kyoko roughly grabbed the girls wrist and jerked her towards the wall. Toko winced, pulling her arm back sharply, to no avail.

“I have a question for you, Toko.” Kyoko spoke softly, and Toko tried to wriggle out of her grasp.

“St-stop! Get your gro—dirty hands o-off of me!”

“What material is your uniform made of?”

“Huh?” Toko stopped struggling, truly taken aback. “I-I… what? I don’t—I have no idea. It-it’s just a plain ol-old uniform.”

“Okay.” Kyoko muttered that one word and let go of Toko in favor of her own chin. She stroked it, thinking. Toko stumbled and ran off.

“Hey Kyoko. What was that all about.” Kyoko looked up sharply towards the voice, meeting Makoto’s curious gaze.

“Oh. I found just something and I wanted to verify.”

“You think Toko did it? Toko,” he gulped, “killed Hiro?”

Kyoko closed her eyes and shook her head. “It’s still too early to draw conclusions.” She stepped forward, almost running right into Celeste.

“I overheard you conversing with Toko.” She said in a slithery tone.

Kyoko hardened her eyes. “As did we.”

“Well, it wasn’t important. What do you need?”

“Why did you have to feign indifference when leaving the kitchen this morning?” Celeste’s eyes widened in surprise for a fraction of a second. “Oh, I’m sure you noticed me watching.”

“Ug—I…“ she sighed. “I ran into Hifumi in the kitchen. It was rather revolting.” She sighed again and winced. “That is all.”

“Okay.” Kyoko pulled out her handbook and made some notes. Hifumi bothered Celeste that much? Then she turned on her heel. “Come, Makoto. We have work to do.” She pointed her gaze at the storage room. They left Celeste to stand alone in the hallway without another word.

There were three things Kyoko was looking for. First, anything made of circular glass. Second, purple fabric. Third, any sort of tool that could get into the boys bathroom stall. She was itching to find out what someone, most likely the killer, had to hide.

A thin layer of dust covered most surfaces in the storage room, mostly long-emptied spaces on the metal shelves or untouched boxes. Kyoko did her best to observe but not disturb. She was mindful about where her limbs were, careful not to blow away the dust. It could be critical evidence. Something the killer used but wasn’t thoughtful enough to destroy. The dust could tell stories, deadly towards the killer if they had been careless. 

And the dust spoke. Kyoko shifted her eyes towards a pile of sporting clothes. Too neat, too clean. Not one speck of dust on the top layer. Surely the killer wasn’t this inattentive? Kyoko carefully moved the pile to the floor and sifted through. Blue. Yellow. Orange. Teal. Purple. _Purple_. She unzipped the front and checked the label. 100% polyester. Definitely high quality, made just for sporting. Satisfied, she rearranged the stack and placed it back on the shelf.

“Makoto, look for anything made of glass. Don’t touch anything.”

They silently searched the storage room, finding glass tupperwares, lightbulbs, and handheld mirrors. They even found a box of phone screen protectors, although they had no phones to attach them to. None of the glassware they found fit the glass found in the trash room. Either the glass was too thick, not flat, or the glass had impurities like cracks, color, or dirt and dust.

“We’re probably low on time. Let’s check out the kitchen.” Kyoko found Makoto towards the back of the storage room, looking considerably down.

He looked up at Kyoko and put on a smile. “Okay! What are we looking for now?”

“Hmm.” She assumed her usual ‘thinking’ stance, putting her fingers to her chin. “I need a water bottle and I’d like to inspect the kitchen trash for myself.”

“Okay!” Makoto wore an expression of confidence. The pair started walking towards the kitchen.

“Oh yeah. I noticed that there weren’t any scissors or sharp pointy things. Is that concerning?”

Kyoko nodded. “So you noticed that too. I think the killer hid some incriminating evidence in the boys bathroom, and removed our ways of undoing the zip ties on the last stall.” Makoto looked up at her, curiosity flickering in his eyes. Kyoko smirked. “Check if you don’t believe me.”

They entered the dining hall, meeting Hina, sitting at a long table.

“Hey Hina. Are you investigating the dining hall?” Makoto asked, walking up to the girl.

She sighed. “No, I’ve been taking a break.” She looked down. “Well, I’ve been taking a break the whole time. I have no clue what I should be doing.”

Kyoko walked up to the table. “Has anyone come in here during the investigation? Or just you?”

Hina nodded weakly. “Someone might have gotten here before me, because I talked to Sayaka a bit before I got here. Makoto came in a bit after I got here, and so did Taka.” She thought for a second. “Toko came in a little while ago, she said something about pleasing her ‘senpai?’ I don’t know, that was weird. That’s it, I think.”

Kyoko stared at the girl. “Okay.” She lifted her gaze. “Makoto, let’s check the kitchen.”

Upon entering the kitchen, Makoto pointed to the stack of produce.

“Behind there. That’s where the scissors were.”

Kyoko snaked around the food and peered into the trash.

“It’s still there. There are a bunch of scissors in the trash.” Kyoko reached for her handbook, typing quickly before placing it away in her pocket. “Nice going, Makoto.”

Makoto stood up from his position in front of the refrigerator at the mention of his name. He practically had stars in his eyes. “Really?” He closed the door. “I got the water too!”

Kyoko smiled, making her way to where the boy stood. “I want you to check the boys bathroom near the dorms. See if anyone is there, and try to get the door open. If you don’t, that’s fine, just check.”

Makoto smiled, eyes lighting up. “Okay! I’ll see you later then!”

Kyoko dropped her smile as the boy walked away. There was something she was missing. Did she forget to check a room? No, only the AV Room and the student store remained. Her intuition had guided her to the trash room, and she had checked all other rooms of interest. Was there a certain person that had obtained information? Obviously the killer did, but she couldn’t tell by just looking at them. Maybe it was best to go over the evidence and prepare for the trial.

First, she had examined Hiro’s wounds. Two strikes to the head and a wound from the washer. The splatter indicated that he had been standing up. Then, the blood under the doorway of the boy’s bathroom. The zip tie lock on the stall, and the bloody reddish-blackish cloth stuck in the door. Next, the trash room. The ripped purple cloth and the thin, broken glass, both hidden in the corner behind the door. The handwriting on the note in Hiro’s room. The bout between Toko and Celeste, Toko’s clothing, and Celeste’s disgust of Hifumi in the kitchen. The tracksuits in the storage room, the lack of sharp materials, and their inability to find glass that matched the broken bits in the trash room. Who Hina had said entered the kitchen, and the scissors in the kitchen trash. 

Kyoko smiled. She was beginning to have a clear picture of what had happened. Now all she needed was for someone to slip up during the class trial to convince her classmates of the killer’s crime. Makoto had almost all the evidence she did, and he was smart enough to figure it out with a push, so Kyoko was confident that she didn’t need to put a target upon her own back.

The monitors placed around the school dinged to life. “Erm, so ah...I'm getting tired of waiting. What say we just get started, hm? It's time for the long-awaited Class Trial! Now then, allow me to appoint a proper location for the proceedings. Please go through the red door on the 1st floor of the school! Puhuhu. See you soon!” Silence. The monitors all returned to sleep.

Kyoko started walking. Out of time. But still, she had enough evidence, “truth bullets,” to put together a case. After the trial was over, she had to demand Monokuma change the name. After the trial, of course, because she would win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Next chapter out by 4/20 (hehe)!  
> I think I'm going to try to post on Mondays and Fridays from now on, but there may be weeks where I post on Wednesdays as well! I'll do my best to keep you posted.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trial time!

Sayaka watched as her peers filed in through the large red doors, one by one, looks of dread, fear, suspicion, and scorn drawing their features. Leon entered the room, eyes slightly drooping but wearing a soft smile. Byakuya followed, enthusiasm clear as day when fires flared behind his eyes and a smug grin plastered on his face. The last to enter the room was Makoto, eyebrows furrowed, eyes filled with some kind of sparkle, slightly frowning but his determination clear. Sayaka couldn’t place what that sparkle was. Joy? No. Fear? No. Anxiety? Not that sparkle. Was it hope?

Different sounds of breaths spread through the air. Some were shaky, others hushed, some behind the facade of strength, one completely silent. The atmosphere was tense. It felt thick, like anything that Sayaka wanted to say would have people glaring daggers into her.

“Puhuhu… Is everyone here? Okay then… Please board the elevator in front of you, which will transport you to the courtroom… where all your fates will be decided. Puhu. I'll meet you all down there. I'll be waiting…”

Sayaka held her wrist in her hand as she stepped into the service elevator. She could feel heavy beating through her fingers. Her heart was practically leaping through her lungs; it was suffocating. She felt her throat close up as she tried to swallow, a thin, wet film covering her forehead. Oh god, it was so hard to breath. It hurt. _It hurts._ She tried to gasp for air, but it hurt so much, but she needed air, but it was so difficult, but she needed to live. _Help me!_

Sayaka felt a steady hand on her back. She looked up, her dark, hollow eyes meeting icy blue. There was a sense of serenity in those eyes, and she felt grasped for the calm. Her throat complied, and her breathing became less laborious. She was still sputtering, gasping, but it was easier. Warmth streamed through Leon’s hand, and the tension in her lungs eased. She felt eyes crawling her, shooting her way as if to say _why are you having such a hard time. You’re an attempted muderer! You don’t deserve to feel nervous. And you especially don’t deserve to be comforted._

_Thank you_ , Sayaka mouthed. Her throat hadn’t quite caught up but her gratitude was passed. She felt herself teeter, _damn these legs,_ and a gloved hand shot out to catch her arm. 

“Hey.” Kyoko whispered. “It’s okay to be scared.”

“Yeah.” Sayaka turned her head to Leon. He didn’t feel any rage against the girl. Yes, she had attempted to lure and kill him, but she had been desperate, grasping at invisible straws with immense consequences. It was the pressure of the game, and Sayaka had just been playing by the bears’ cards. It wasn’t her fault. “I’m anxious too. Lets get through this.” Leon offered a smile, tilting his head as a show of forgiveness.

Sayaka nodded, not rejecting the notion, steadying herself against both Kyoko and Leon’s arms. “Together.”

* * *

The elevator screeched to a halt, its rusty doors opening to reveal a gaudy tiled trial room. Navy stained walls and blood-red curtains opened their arms to the students, daring them to make a wrong move, a wrong choice. The octogonal walls seemed hungry for their doubts; it was ready for the teenagers to tear each other apart. The walls laughed, just as the bear did, challenging the students to find the killer, hate the killer, and despair at the killer’s execution.

Each student took their place at a podium with their name card on it. Two portraits with large, red x’s cut through the deceased students' faces, Hiro across the circle from Sayaka, and Junko, across the circle from a certain pompous heir. One empty podium almost intimidated the players, sitting in between Hina and Hiro’s gray picture. He was smiling, it was almost ironic. He probably believed that this was an elaborate prank by the school until the very end.

A throne positioned itself behind the empty space, and Sayaka could almost envision a face to match. The bear propped himself on the chair, explaining the basics of their predicament and what they needed to do to survive. The rules were simple: find the culprit and when the time comes, vote for them. Vote correctly, the killer is punished, but vote incorrectly and the killer gets off scot free and the other students are murdered. It was painful, it was soul-crushing, but they had to do it. They had to win. They had to survive.

Celeste had asked why their dead classmates were accompanying them, and Sayaka thought she heard an edge of pity in her voice. Why couldn’t the dead just rest? Monokuma only laughed, stating that he wanted them to be joined, even in death. How awful.

“Let’s Start, Shall We?” Taka’s voice boomed through the room. “We have to determine the circumstances of our friend's death.”

Byakuya scoffed. “Friend? Well, I think we can all agree that Hagakure was killed in the laundry room.”

Hina looked up. “Well yeah, he was found there, so it must be!”

“That’s foolish thinking.” Byakuya sighed. “But there were no blood trails to indicate otherwise, and Hagakure was quite broad, so the body would be difficult to move anyways.”

“Oh. And also,” Makoto spoke up, “there was a note in his dorm that told him to go to the laundry room, which is how the killer lured him there.”

Sayaka thought for a second. “We can agree that he was killed in the laundry room, but what about a weapon?”

Kyoko eyed to her right. “That’s something I’ve been wanting to discuss for a while. Sayaka, when we discovered you this morning—”

“The room was a complete mess.” Mondo patted his corn-like hair. “What happened? There was a knife on the floor!”

Leon nodded. “You were in pretty bad shape. Your wrist was dislocated, and Makoto was pretty shaken up too.”

Sayaka stared ahead, eyes boring into the portrait of her past peer. Of course everyone was attacking her, but why so soon? She tensed up.

“No that’s wrong!” Makoto shouted, pointing his finger and making Sayaka jump. “Hiro was killed with blunt force, he was _not_ impaled with a sharp object.”

“Y-yeah.” Sayaka hesitantly looked up at Kyoko. “Can we discuss this another time?”

Kyoko snapped her eyes up to Sayaka’s. “Very well. The knife in your room wasn’t the weapon.”

“Hmm…” Makoto assumed a thinking stance. “I think we can outlaw any kitchen materials as the murder took place after the night time announcement and the dining hall is closed then.”

“Could it be… the storage room?” Leon spoke up, thinking of all the large, perhaps lethal, objects the room contained.

Byakuya grumbled. “It would be safe to assume so. However, do any more of you know _where_ the murder weapon even _is_?” He cast an accusatory glare at the other students.

Sayaka raised an eyebrow.

“Actually, yeah, dude, we were just there.” Leon seared his eyes against Byakuya’s, and a hint of a smirk passed his face. “Don’t you remember?”

Makoto took a small step back. “Oh! You guys mean the boys bathroom! You two were crowded around the last stall when I arrived, which was right before the announcement went off!”

“Correct. I have reason to believe the murder weapon was locked away in the bathroom stall.” The blond stood tall, arms crossed, apparently intrigued and slightly amused. He was hard to read, and it made sense that he wore a mask. Sayaka supposed it was needed in his line of work, like hers and many others’.

“Hm, makes sense,” Leon added, “I got there before you, and the bathroom door was wide open.” He made a small gesture, opening his hands. Sayaka thought it was a bit charming, and a hint of a smile returned to her face. “There was a small bit of blood at the foot of the doorway.”

“But, what if the killer wanted us to find it?” Makoto looked puzzled at his own words, before looking at Kyoko with a pleading look.

“Oh, don’t worry, I left it open.” Kyoko sighed. “I thought no one would notice otherwise.”

“O-oh? Are you admit—admitting to the crime?” Toko stumbled.

“Silence.”

“Don’t interfere.”

Two voices cut through the air at almost the same time. Both speakers went to glare at the owner of the opposing voice and ended up turning to face their neighbor. Byakuya and Celeste completely ignored the other students, in favor of their little bout. Sayaka didn’t really get it, why did they look so angry at each other? Was it because they were interrupted by the other? Although the hostility they held filled the air and started to noticeably worry some of the more antsy students.

“Guys, guys. Let’s not fight, okay?” Makoto interjected sheepishly, putting his hands out in front of him in a mediating way. “Not during the trial, okay?”

The two grumbled and turned back to the group. They both had the same expression and posture, with their arms crossed. Sayaka almost giggled. Almost.

“For those of you who didn’t see, the last stall had a bunch of zip ties around the locking mechanism.” Leon paused, eyeing the circle. “There was also a piece of bloodstained cloth that appears to be made of a red-orangish cloth and a blue, purple, or black. With the blood, it’s hard to tell.” Sayaka heard a small cough to her right, but she wasn’t fast enough to see who it was.

“That was all there was in that area of the first floor.” Byakuya crossed his arms, and Sayaka saw him scanning the circle, fiery intent glaring down at them.

“Hold on a second.” Byakuya snapped his eyes to the lucky student. “You may say that the boys bathroom is the only point of interest, but the door to the trash room was open as well, wasn’t it?”

Chihiro held her head up. “So you’re saying there was something important in that room?” Her forehead creased weakly.

“Yeah. I saw Taka standing outside of the room, so I went to talk to him, and he found broken glass there.” Sayaka noticed his gaze flick to Kyoko. “It looked like a broken glasses lense.”

Sayaka pointed her glare at Byakuya. So he was trying to hide evidence, he had to be. There was no way this guy, who held himself above everyone else, would miss something so significant.

“So what you’re saying, Makoto, is that Byakuya over here tried to hide evidence in the trash room so he wouldn’t be pegged as the murderer?” Hina looked like a kettle about to boil over. She stood, leaning forward, hands balled into fists. Sayaka knew what she had implied, she herself had come to the same conclusion. So Byakuya was the murderer?

“No, hold on.” The swimmer tore her scowl away from Byakuya and focused on Makoto's gentle voice. Her face cleared the darkness in seconds. “There was also a piece of purple cloth at the scene. It’s also worth noting that the gate was closed and nothing was being operated.” He glanced at the moral compass. “Taka gave me the okay to take the cloth to the trial grounds.”

Taka nodded at the mention of his name. “It Seemed To Be Important, Although I Don’t Know Why.”

Hifumi gasped, and looked to his right, then to his left. “Wait… wait, wait, wait, wai, wai, wa, wa—WAIT A MINUTE!” The fanfic creator slapped his hands to his cheeks. “YOU’RE SAYING THAT THE PURPLE CLOTH BELONGS TO ONE OF US?!?!?!?!?”

Byakuya looked like he was about to spit on the ground. “Of course. Who else would it belong to?”

“Th-then that means… AHHHHHHHHH!!!!” He pushed himself up against the leftmost side of his podium, squishing up against Makoto. He pointed an accusing finger at Toko. “You!”

“He-hey hold it, f-fatty! Don’t g-go poi—pointing fingers at people!” Sayaka almost laughed at the girl’s hypocrisy. 

Leon winced. “I mean, you are wearing purple, like that cloth.” He twisted his gaze to study Kyoko. “But so are you.”

Kyoko didn’t change her expression. “Makoto, can you hand me the cloth? I have something I’d like to show the class.” After consideration of about one second, he nodded and passed the material to his left, passing Sayaka and reaching Kyoko. Everyone kept their eyes locked on the light-haired girl as she pulled out a plastic water bottle. She said something in a hushed tone that only her neighbors could hear. Mondo and Sakura nodded, and watched the cloth intently.

Kyoko carefully unscrewed the cap and lifted the bottle to her sleeve. She tipped and poured, and the water trickled down, leaving no trace. 

“My jacket is made of leather.” She smirked, “Toko, I need a piece of your skirt.”

“Wh-what? What are yo-you gonna d-do with it?”

Kyoko frowned. “Do you want everyone to vote for you?” Toko shook her head, and Kyoko held out her hand.

Toko made a small ripping motion, and a small tear appeared in her skirt. Sayaka wondered how much her classmates were hiding. There was no way an average girl or average strength could even attempt that, let alone rip fabric without much problem. Sayaka furrowed her brow in worry. She would have to watch out for that one.

Toko silently passed the cloth to her left until it made its way to the girl with the water bottle.

“Watch closely.” She poured a small bit of water on the fabric and none met the ground. The cloth had completely absorbed the liquid. Kyoko smiled. Her suspicions had been confirmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "finale" of this trial is soon! Do not fret!  
> Next update Friday.  
> :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trial part 2!

Sayaka looked around the trial room, and she met other confused looks. Was this supposed to prove something? So what, the water had been absorbed by Toko’s skirt. What did that mean?

“Wh-what’s this supposed to mean?” Toko sputtered. “Does this mean… You think I-I’m the killer?”

Kyoko dropped her smile. “Now hold on, I didn’t say anything like that. I’m not finished yet.” She dropped the wet fabric onto the ground. Kyoko took the cloth from the trash room and held it up. “If this is the same fabric, it should absorb the water, right?”

“Are you saying…” Makoto started, but trailed off, eyeing the floor. Sayaka noticed his brow furrow. _He’s figuring it out. He’s doing it! He’s going to save us!_ So she waited. It felt eternal, but Sayaka kept staring at him. And Makoto snapped his eyes forward. “Are you saying that this is linked to the stack on tracksuits in the storage room?”

Kyoko smiled. “Just watch.” She lifted the bottle to the evidence. And she poured. And the water trickled off.

Sayaka heard herself gasp. That fabric was not incriminating Toko! It was eliminating her as a suspect!

“I get it! That fabric is _actually_ from one of the tracksuits, not from Toko!” Makoto tilted his head. “How’d you know?”

“The tracksuits in the storage room are made of polyester. Most workout clothes are, it’s a lot less water absorbent than any natural material, like cotton, wool, and linen.”

“And you knew because natural fabrics absorb water and synthetic materials are water resistant.” Leon nodded, smiling.

“Wow.” Sayaka’s eyes were shining with pure veneration. “Kyoko, that’s really clever. And now we know that the killer planted that to try and frame Toko.”

“And how do we know that Kyoko isn’t the killer,” Celeste commented, “and she planted that to disprove in the trial?”

Kyoko sighed. “Do you have any evidence to back up this claim?”

“I was merely asking.” She fell silent.

“What about the broken glass in the trash room?” Makoto asked. “When I searched the storage room, I didn’t find anything matching the shape or thickness of the glass we found.”

“Could it be?” Sayaka wondered.

“Could it be what?” Leon asked.

“Oh! I was just thinking, one of the girls in my group wears glasses for school, so I just… I don’t really know, ignore me.” She chuckled sadly, thinking of her friends.

Makoto pat her shoulder. “Good thinking! That glass could be a glasses lense!”

Sayaka felt her cheeks warm. She had helped!

“So You’re Saying,” Taka’s voice boomed, “Someone Broke Into Ms. Fukawa’s Dorm And Stole Her Glasses? Preposterous! Stealing Is Not Welcome In A School Environment!”

“No,” Makoto replied, “that’s not the easiest way to get someone’s glasses. The most plausible way,” he looked to his right, “is for the killer to be wearing glasses themselves!”

Sayaka turned to look at the two others with glasses, Hifumi and Byakuya. She saw Hifumi’s brow furrow but she couldn’t make out what emotion he was feeling. Byakuya’s smile dropped to a disapproving line.

“That lense… do you really think that _curved_ lense fits into my _rectangular_ glasses?” Byakuya shook his head. “Plus, none of the evidence thus far has pointed to me?”

Makoto nodded. “Yeah, those lenses were too tall to fit your glasses.”

“So That Narrows The List To… Hifumi?” Taka’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped agape as he stared at the boy.

“What? What?! WHAT?” Hifumi roared. “You think it was ME? I’m going to need some proof! It could be Toko’s glasses? Maybe she planted evidence that disproved her to drive you guys to the wrong answer!”

“H-hey! Don’t b-bring me in this. We all know that it was y-you! So d-don’t hide behind me!” Toko’s ears started to redden.

“You want proof? Okay, I’ll give you proof.” Kyoko turned from Hifumi to the girl across the circle from her. “Celeste, why don’t you tell everyone what you told me during the investigation?”

“Oh my. I told you I found Hifumi a mess in the kitchen this morning.” Celeste smiled bitterly.

“And were you one of the first people to arrive in the dining hall that morning?”

“Yes I was. I was really craving tea, so I went to get it as soon as the announcement played. I saw Taka not far behind me.”

Taka looked up. “I Will Not Lose Next Time!”

“So what you’re saying is,” Kyoko smiled, and Sayaka noticed an almost malicious tone as she spoke, “Hifumi had a chance to dispose of a _certain something_ before anyone could witness it?”

Hifumi glared at Kyoko. “And what is this certain something you speak of?! There is nothing in the kitchen! Just because Celeste wanted tea doesn’t mean I’m the killer! I couldn’t hurt a fly!” 

“Why don’t you tell them, Makoto?” Kyoko gestured at the boy. “Why don’t you tell Hifumi what you found in the kitchen?”

Sayaka could’ve sworn she heard a quiet _“This is it!”_ escape the boy’s mouth, but it could’ve been her imagination.

“You mean the scissors in the kitchen trash?” Makoto inquired. “I went to the kitchen after looking at Hiro’s body and I found a bunch of scissors in the kitchen trash.”

“And what does _that_ have to do with anything?” Hifumi snapped. “I thought the murder weapon wasn’t a blade?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.” Kyoko crossed her arms. “It was to prevent us from opening the bathroom stall and finding the murder weapon and the purple tracksuit.”

“And you can’t prove that I did any of this! Sure, something fishy took place in the bathroom, doesn’t mean it was me! Give me real proof, give me real evidence! You can’t prove that I’m the killer!”

“No, that’s wrong!” A small voice boomed, figure towards his neighbor, finger pointing accusingly. “We can prove you’re the killer! Do you recognize this piece of cloth?” Makoto pulled the blood-stained two-toned cloth from his pocket and held where all his classmates could see. Sayaka looked at her own outfit, but none of her own clothing matched the colors of the cloth.

Hifumi gasped. “What is that? I’ve never seen that? That doesn’t prove anything!”

Kyoko smirked. “Then tell me. Is there any other person in this room that material could belong to?” Sayaka took a better look at the cloth. It was the shape of a triangle with an almost perfect split in the middle separating a dark, purple-ish color and a lighter, orange red. Sayaka looked at her classmates. Sure enough, no one else had any article that matched the colors of the pattern of the cloth. Except Hifumi.

“Yeah…” Hina gasped, witholding a sob, “that’s... your tie.”

“I—Unbelievable.” Taka looked downcast.

Hifumi didn’t say anything.

“Why don’t we review the incident one last time to eliminate any doubts.” Makoto put his finger on his chin, assuming a “thinking stance,” as Sayaka would call it.

“This all started last night, when the killer slipped a note under the unsuspecting Hiro’s door. The note called him to the laundry room after midnight. It was to discuss a _supposed_ way out. Hiro, of course, obliged, and arrived at 12:20, where the killer was waiting with a weapon.” Makoto looked at Kyoko, slightly confused how to continue. She nodded.

“The killer dealt one strike to the head with the weapon, knocking Hiro down, and he hit his head on the washing machine. The killer dealt a final blow just to be sure he was dead.”

“And then,” Makoto picked up where she left off. “The killer went to the storage room to get zip ties, a purple tracksuit, and all the scissors. They then went to the boys bathroom, and ripped a small piece off the purple tracksuit. He put the rest of it and the weapon in the last stall and used the zip ties to lock it up Unbeknownst to them, their tie had gotten stuck in the door, leaving behind a crucial piece of evidence.”

Makoto took a short breath, and he continued. “They headed to the trash room next. There, they placed the ripped cloth and broke their own glasses with the intent to frame Toko. They headed back to their dorm and waited for the morning announcement. When it came, they headed to the kitchen to dispose of the scissors. They were stumbled upon by Celeste, who had been early as she wanted some tea.”

“And that is how the murder went down. Isn’t it, Hifumi Yamada!” Makoto confidently pointed towards the suspect. Hifumi cast his eyes down, unable to meet Makoto’s gaze.

“Well, if no one has anything to say, please start the vote, Monokuma.” Kyoko looked up at the bear.

“Puhuhuhu~! Looks like you’ve reached your verdict! You all have a lever in front of you. Use it to make a selection. And make sure you vote for someone, lest you want punishment!” The bear cackled. “Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one!”

A monitor lowered itself from the ceiling, displaying a fake slot machine. The slots rolled, slowing to stop on three of Hifumi’s faces. A couple of dings were heard and confetti popped and rained on the students.

“Looks like you got it right on the money! The blackened who killed Yasuhiro Hagakura was none other than Mr. Hifumi Yamada!”

“Do You Have Anything To Say For Yourself? You Should Be Ashamed!” Taka scolded Hifumi, but Sayaka saw him hold back the dam behind his eyes.

“It wasn’t exactly like that, the way you explained it. I was…” Hifumi trembled, “I just really wanted to save my sister! She’s the only one who understands me! We have the same hobbies, passions, outlooks on life, and I couldn’t lose her! If she was dead, then I would be alone in the world! So I had to do it! I’m sorry!”

“What did Makoto get wrong?” Kyoko narrowed her eyes.

“Well,” Hifumi hiccupped, “I wasn’t thinking. I took two trips to the storage room, not one. If I took two, wouldn’t the scissors be in the boys bathroom?” He paused. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I’m not a ruthless killer. I was just scared! Do you know how terrifying it is to be alone?”

“I can’t… I can’t believe this!” Mondo stood, forehead blueing.

“I’m sorry!”

“Enough of your groveling. Puhu~ it’s time! The blackened, Hifumi Yamada, will receive his punishment!”

“Punishment?” Hifumi’s eyes widened, tears trailing down his face. His nose was red and his cheeks were puffy. “Please, no, I just wanted to save my sister, it was an accident, please! Don’t! Please! No!”

“No begging! No excuses! You must pay for breaking the rules!”

“No! I’m sorry!”

“Now then! I’ve prepared a very special punishment for Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate FanFic Creator!”

“Please! No! I’m sorry! Please!”

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s punishment time!!!”

A chain dropped from the ceiling and clasped itself around Hifumi’s neck. Clutching and choking, he was dragged back into a separate chamber—the execution chamber. He reappeared sitting on a pillow in front of a low, circular table in a pink tea room with animated gumdrops dancing on the walls. Across from him sat a stout, pink-haired woman. She was wearing a matching pink top and skirt, fluffy wings adorned her back, and a pink heart topped her head. She was carrying a bow and a quiver of pink heart-shaped arrows. Sayaka would later learn that she was Princess Piggles, Hifumi’s one love.

The students watched as fun, child-like circus music filled the atmosphere. Hifumi reached for a teacup and his hand hovered. He grabbed the object in question, not a teacup, a gun. Princess Piggles’ wing suddenly started flapping erratically, and she shot up into the air. Quickly, her bow was loaded and arrows were raining towards Hifumi. The students prayed that their classmate could use the gun to protect himself. And he did.

With a cry, Hifumi shot at his idol. He cried, he bawled, he screamed in agony. 6 shots resonated into the students’ ears and a loud thud was heard. Princess Piggles crashed to the ground, pink blood pooling underneath her. Hifumi let out a sob and ran to her lifeless body. He reached his arms out in a desperate attempt to hug her, but as if on puppet strings, her limp body soared through the air again.

Princess Piggles convulsed. She let out a whirring noise and her wings disappeared into her body. What came out was a large, long piece of metal with a diamond shaped tip. Monokuma cackled, and he too emerged from the pile of flesh once considered to be Princess Piggles. He roared and pulled the trigger. The diamond shaped projectile launched towards Hifumi. He ran across the tea room, hitting a pink wall. The projectile changed directions, aiming right for his eye. The seconds slowed, Hifumi’s eyes widened one last time as the projectile struck right into his brain.

And exploded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update on Monday!  
> I'm sorry these are the same people as the manga demo but I changed the murder and the execution so I hope that makes up for it!  
> See you next time, and thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath

Sayaka stared. Her eyes were wide with terror, her face clammy and chilled. She wanted to scream, but even though her mouth was open, no air moved. Her vocal chords didn’t vibrate, her lungs expanded slowly, too slow. This was horror. This was terror. This was despair.

Sayaka almost couldn’t believe her eyes. She thought maybe the bear had been joking, about execution and all. But then again, their classmate had been killed. She should’ve been prepared. But this? This was too much. Too brutal. Cruel. Inhumane. Whatever it was. No one deserved that. Not even a murderer.

A thought itched at her mind. What was her execution going to be like. Would her classmates stare in the same horror she now did? And how would she die? Cruelly as well, of course. Would it hurt? Would they miss her?

Sayaka shook her head, slowly, and backed away from the scene. She vaguely heard insane laughter, but she couldn’t focus on it. She tried to look up at her classmates, no, friends? She tried to look up at her friends for support. No one looked back. They were all focused on the bits and pieces of their once jovial friend, their friend who was so into 2D, their friend who had been killed by his own idol.

Emptiness clenched its hand around her heart. Was this despair? Was this the goal of the bear? Sayaka stared into the distance, hoping someone, anyone, would glance back. Even Kyoko, usually stoic, showed an inch of shock and remorse. Her mask was back quickly, but Sayaka didn’t care. She just wanted to leave.

Maybe someone screamed, yelled at the bear, scolded the bear, cried, she couldn’t tell. Everything was too far away. Sayaka could hear her classmates yell, but what were they saying? Does it even matter anymore?

Everything was like a blur. Sayaka. Before long, though, everyone had started chattering again. Sayaka. Not much time had passed, but the group slowly inched towards the elevator.

Sayaka.

What? Sayaka. They were in the elevator.

“Sayaka.”

“Huh?”

“Hey. Sayaka. Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah.”

“Hmm.” Sayaka gazed ahead at the purple eyes staring into her soul. How many times had her name been called? “You sure?”

“Yeah. I think.” Sayaka smiled. It felt good to talk to someone, even if the talk was only someone checking on her. “Thanks.”

Kyoko only nodded at the gratitude. The elevator whirred to a slow, before shifting abruptly and stopping. The students filed out of the elevator and into the dark, soulless hallway of the school. The nighttime announcement played, and Sayaka groaned internally. How long had it been since she had last eaten?

Sayaka dragged her feet, starting not far behind Kyoko but losing sight of her quickly. She arrived at her room. It still had Makoto’s plate on it. Maybe she should give it back. Sayaka patted her skirt pocket to find a metallic rectangle and a key. Not her key. She sighed.

“Hey Sayaka.” She turned away from the door, facing the boy whose name hung on her door. He smiled, albeit fake, it helped a little.

“Hey. I’m sorry. About, you know.” Sayaka sighed again. “Well. I guess for worrying you.” She chuckled softly. It was difficult, but she wanted him to see she was okay.

“Hah. It’s no problem, really.” Makoto shuffled in his pockets. “Here’s your key. I guess you don’t wanna switch right now.”

“Yeah, no.” They traded keys.

“Well, see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Rest well.” Sayaka turned away and entered her room. These past two days were a complete mess. God.

Sayaka trudged to her bed, flopping down on it, barely leaving room to breathe. She wanted to sob. Who wouldn’t, after what they just witnessed? Well, besides Kyoko and Byakuya, maybe. Yikes. Too much thinking.

Instead, she just breathed. In, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. All the way out, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. In, out, in, out. She breathed like this all the time, training her lungs, but she didn’t since they had come to the school. In. Out. It felt nice, comforting, familiar. In. Out. Her muscles relaxed, sinking into the sheets. In. Out. Sayaka closed her eyes. In. Out. Her brain was expelling all its thoughts, good or bad. In. Out. It was getting easier. In. Out. It felt good. In. Out. 

The darkness was nice.

* * *

Leon sat in his room, thinking. Yeah. That trial gave him a _lot_ to think about. It felt kinda nice, when he helped Makoto figure out the small details to the bigger picture. But he had never imagined that it would end like _that._ It was almost insane. Who even thought of that? It must’ve been painful for Hifumi. He had to live with himself for killing a classmate, and then Monokuma forced him to kill the one person, although not real, that he had a real attachment to.

And then he was blasted with a shot of light, even Monokuma couldn’t escape. Among the bloodied remains, among the torn clothes, the broken glasses, was a Monokuma arm. It was a small thing. He would put it off for now, but it made Leon insanely curious.

One thing was clear in his mind. He had to distance himself from the group. He couldn’t risk another encounter with someone like-minded to Sayaka. Obviously, distancing himself would be suspicious, so he would stay close physically but away emotionally. It was okay though, he was protecting himself.

Yeah. He would just fake being friends with everyone. It would be easy! Obviously, Celeste would be able to tell that he was fibbing, but just stay away from her right? Not like he was interested in getting to know her anyways. And of course there were other people to look out for, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Still, what had gotten into him before the trial started? _Oh, she didn’t mean it! She was just desperate!_ Seriously? Was that what he truly thought? Although, it was true that he wasn’t angry. If only, he felt sorry for her. It was awful watching her unable to catch her breath. But he didn’t need to pat her back! What went through his head? Ugh, stupid! It was so frustrating! What was he feeling?!

It was all so confusing. Why had she targeted him? The same question plagued his mind. It kept nagging, chipping away at his self confidence that he had built up around himself like walls throughout his life. Was he really the weakest link? No. No, no no. No. Stop it. It’s gonna be fine. Just calm down. Okay, okay. Good.

There was another thing on Leon’s mind. Kyoko Kirigiri. She was an enigma. She looked more like a private investigator or something. But a student? One of the last things he would’ve guessed. What was her talent? Was she hiding it, or did she genuinely not know? And woah. She really came through with that water trick in the trial. Thank god for her.

But it was suspicious. She really helped them out, but she hadn’t really stood out of the crowd beforehand. Was she trying to be sneaky? Or was she really just a plain old student like the rest of them? Well, not _plain,_ or _old,_ they were ultimates after all. Geez. It was all too much. Maybe he should just go to bed.

Leon shed his white coat tossing it somewhere on the floor. Eh, whatever. He could just get it tomorrow. He fell sideways before rolling onto his back, hands behind his head, feet crossed in a cool kid kinda way. Much to think about. Too much. Hah. Since when did _he_ think? 

Well, no matter. All he had to do was live. Of course he wouldn’t kill anyone, hell no. But he would sink into the background, unnoticed by everyone, chilling behind the scenes, and come out alive by simply doing nothing. Taking no action. Sure, he would help in the trials where he could, but other than that, nada.

He cringed. More trials? No, no one would dare. Right?

Still, it wouldn’t derail his plan. He would get out, no matter what. It couldn’t be too hard to survive. Just don’t become a target, and hope that the smarter people don’t kill. Shouldn’t be too hard. A plan was a plan, and he would follow through. So he could see his family again, and his cousin.

Leon chuckled. He wondered if she was practicing throwing the ball. Of course, the motive video had made him worry, but he realized it was probably a load of bull. They wouldn’t kill the hostages right off the bat. They would’ve probably been kept in a quarantine at best or a prison at worst. Wherever she was, Leon could count on Kanon to be okay.

Too many thoughts. It was best to let go for the day. A lot happened, but nothing would come of it if he just lay there. Time to sleep. But it was no use. His mind was too active, not good for sleeping. He wasn’t even tired. Damn.

So there Leon sat, kicked back in his bed, closing his eyes, impatiently waiting for sleep to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the first trial.  
> What a ride. Hopefully I can focus more on developing Sayaka and Leon now.  
> Thank you for reading, next update May 1st!


	9. PART 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Free time! And discussion.

“Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!”

Leon forced his eyes open. He lifted his hand to his forehead, feeling a small throbbing as grogginess slapped him in the face. He groaned, rolling out of bed and into the shower. Last night was wild and terrible. But he had to move forward and greet the day with a smile. The water did a good job of washing his worries away. He slipped out of the shower, towel on his head, and into fresh clothes. 

Leon patted his breast pocket, feeling his key stored away, and made his way to the dining hall. Everyone had already situated themselves comfortably, so he sat in the empty seat between Sayaka and Mondo.

“Finally! You’re Extremely Late, Leon!” Taka yelled.

Leon scratched behind his head and chuckled. “Sorry bud, but I’m here now.”

“Well, No Matter! How Is Everyone Holding Up?”

Hina looked downcast. “Well, it’s not like I was close to either of those two, right? But I still feel bad.” She punched her hand. “Well, getting depressed isn’t gonna do anything about it. We gotta pick ourselves up and work together to escape this place!”

Byakuya scoffed. “And that’s supposed to make us feel better?”

“Huh?”

“We were already working together and someone still got killed. It’s not a matter of _if,_ it’s a matter of _when_ the next person will make their move.”

“But if we work together to defy the mastermind, no one will have any reason to do that!”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Byakuya smirked. “I’ll be in the real world while _you people_ exhaust your energy on things that aren’t as simple as they seem.”

“What do you mean by that?” Hina replied, angry and red.

Celeste nodded her head slowly. “The mastermind seems to be much more powerful than we ever suspected. They took over Hope's Peak, which was supposed to be well defended, then modified it to fit their desire. They created Monokuma, which seems to be incredibly advanced, and they're providing for our every need. And the cherry on top is the execution we witnessed.”

Sayaka looked up. “So you’re saying… The mastermind planned so well, disrupting it would be near impossible?”

Sakura crossed her arms. “Then what are we supposed to do?”

“Obviously, anyone that wants to escape needs to play by the rules. Deceive those around you,” Byakuya paused, eyeing his classmates, “and win the game.”

“N-no.” Chihiro choked back a sob.

“No what?”

“I don’t want to live… if it means killing someone else. Hifumi died cause we all voted for him, right? It’s like we killed him with our own hands!”

“But we would’ve killed way more people if we didn’t do that.” Leon refuted.

Chihiro said nothing.

“Chihiro,” Makoto started, “listen. You're not to blame. Not you, not Hifumi, and not anybody else. The mastermind is responsible for everything that's happened. We had no choice but to vote. I can't even imagine what would've happened to us if we'd refused. And in the end, it was Monokuma who ultimately killed Hifumi! So don't waste your anger on yourself... Instead, direct it at the mastermind!”

“Did you not hear what Celeste said? Either way, I have no reason to mingle with the likes of you people, so I’ll be off.” Byakuya promptly turned and strutted out of the dining hall.

“Talk about a prick.” Leon mumbled.

Toko grumbled and walked out behind Byakuya.

“A-Anyways, Let’s Not Let One Person Get All Of Us Down!” Taka stood up, slamming his hands on the table. “We Need To Stay In High Spirits. We Can Discuss That Later.”

“Yeah.” Sayaka bowed her head. “Well, if we’re all done here, I think I’ll get going.”

One by one, students excused themselves, ignoring the skirmish that had just taken place. Hina and Sakura stayed, talking about muscly things and working out. Celeste looked off into the fake outdoors, quietly sipping her tea and relaxing into her chair. Taka had marched into the kitchen with his dish, and Leon heard the sink turn on and off. Despite everything, it was nice to know that some of his classmates had made a routine for themselves. He smiled as he left the dining hall.

* * *

Sayaka had returned to her room on a full stomach. Half had been from breakfast, the other half the pit that, ironically, ate at her insides. She knew Kyoko would be coming after her shortly, not only because the girl had said so numerous times, but because Sayaka too, longed to have someone to talk to. She couldn’t talk to Makoto, it would just be like she was using him as an outlet for her emotions. Using him, like she had planned from the very beginning. Why had she done that? God, she was an awful person.

Sayaka was pulled from her hole of guilt with the sound of knocking on her door.

“Come in, it’s open.”

Kyoko stepped around the door and it creaked behind her as she pushed it shut. 

“You need to be more careful. Don’t just leave your door unlocked.” Kyoko almost scolded.

“I wasn’t worried, I knew it was you. Because I’m psychic.” Sayaka chuckled as Kyoko’s eyelids jumped up. “Just kidding. We’ve been meaning to talk for a while, that’s all.” Sayaka smiled.

“Then let’s get down to business.”

Sayaka patted the foot of the bed, motioning Kyoko to sit by her. Her wrist was starting to tremble.

“Please tell me what you were doing collapsed on the floor with a knife not even five feet away.”

Sayaka lowered her head. Why was it so hard to admit? She had planned on going through with it, why was admitting guilt so much more difficult?

“Um… well, you see, well, I really,” Sayaka started, “I really don’t know what went through my head.” She could feel wetness form at her brow. “Um.” She let out a shaky breath.

“Hey. Take your time.” Kyoko pat Sayaka’s shoulder. “Look at me.”

Sayaka met Kyoko’s eyes, soft blue sinking into lilac purple. There was a comforting sharpness behind those eyes. It reminded her of the bittersweet tea she liked to indulge herself on every once in a while. The gaze was relaxing, and the tension in Sayaka’s chest left her.

“Thanks.” She continued. “I guess I wasn’t in, well, a stable mindset when I saw the motive video.” Sayaka paused, collecting her thoughts into a sequence of events. “I was already on edge and then I saw my friends, my group members, and I thought they were hurt, or worse, and I just… I just. I don’t know.”

Sayaka sighed. “I got a knife from the kitchen before night, and I switched rooms with Makoto so I could pin the blame on him after I… um.” She coughed. “Well, I wrote Leon a note and he showed up but I guess… well he is sporty, so I guess he’s strong, but he overpowered me and then I hid in the bathroom because I thought he would get mad and kill me and I, it was so awful and oh god.” The words tumbled out, leaving Sayaka gasping for air. Kyoko rubbed circles into her back, trying to comfort her breathing.

Sayaka nodded, taking a large breath in. “But he just… left. And then the next thing I know I’m in the gym and Hiro is… dead.” She gazed into Kyoko’s unwavering stare. “Please don’t hate me. I’m sorry.”

Kyoko blinked. _Oh god, she’s going to back away and leave me here, alone. After I confessed!_ Then a small smile sneaked its way onto her face. _Does she find this amusing?_

“Don’t worry. I only wanted to get a handle on the situation. Although murder is absolutely wrong, you won’t do it again.” Sayaka let out a breath of relief at Kyoko’s words. “But I’m definitely not the person you should be apologizing to.” Kyoko lifted herself off the bed and towards the notepad. She wrote with immense concentration and ripped the page off the pad with fervor.

“I don’t know how I’d approach him. Does he hate me? I don’t know! He said he wanted me to stay away from him, but he really helped me out in the elevator, and now I don’t know what to do.”

“Look.” Kyoko patted Sayaka’s shoulder. “If your judgement is clouded and you feel alone, just look at this.” Kyoko lifted the paper and pointed to the three neatly scribbled bullet points. “Just read this and it’ll remind you what you’ve been feeling and what you need to do.”

“I- wow.”

“I’m going to get going now, but look for me if you need someone to talk to. Try to feel less guilty about Makoto, since you didn’t actually go through with anything.”

“Thank you, Kyoko.” Kyoko nodded and shut the door behind her.

  * _This is a killing game, everyone is under pressure._


  * Leon will accept your apology, with time.


  * Talk to Makoto, he’s still your friend.



It was simple. How did Kyoko know this? It was… so uncharacteristic of her. She didn’t seem like an open person. Maybe it wasn’t fair that Sayaka had pushed all of her feelings onto Kyoko. Maybe Kyoko transferred her emotions into these simple, squiggly sentences. Sayaka folded the paper and flopped on her side, clutching the note to her heart. It was warm. That warmth spread through her arms, into her chest, through her abdomen, into her legs. The bed pulled her into an embrace. So warm. So quiet. So dark. So nice.

.

.

.

“Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially night time. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Oh, and one other thing... It was totally obvious earlier that you were trying to make yourselves feel better and justify what you did. See you, see you, don't see you, see you! That's about how much I can see you, even when you try to hide!”

“Now pay attention and remember this well! The burden of judging others is a heavy one to bear. So be well aware of your actions! Order and stability rely on the sacrifice and responsibility of everyone! Okay then… sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies that this is so late!  
> In THH, the day after the first trial everyone meets in the dining hall in the morning, talks for like ten minutes, then the night time announcement plays, so I decided that's stupid and time should pass more normally. Hope you enjoyed!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second Floor!

“Good morning, everyone! It is now 7am and night time is officially over! Time to rise and shine. Get ready to greet another bee-yutiful day! Oh, and,” Monokuma grinned at the monitor, “please make your way to the gym immediately!”

Leon groaned and rolled over. After the breakfast meeting the previous day, he had returned to his room and slept. And slept, and slept, and slept. And yet he was still sleepy. Well, no matter, it’s not good to refuse the bear.

Leon made himself presentable and left his room towards the gym. He waved at Celeste and Chihiro and walked alongside them as they headed to the gym in silence.

Monokuma stood on the stage and waved his stubby bear arms.

“Good, good! Everyone is here! Now, my precious students, lift your arms up and down! One, two, three, four!”

“One, Two, Three, Four!” Taka barked in response.

“Now, reach way up, and bend way down! Tighten those muscles! Let’s add strength and speed to those young bodies of yours!

Monokuma was met by grimaces and silence.

“This feels great! Especially when you’re all stuck inside! You gotta make sure to stay healthy!”

Toko scoffed. “You’re the one keeping us stuck in-inside.”

“Don’t _sweat_ the small stuff! That’s my motto!” Monokuma snickered. “Didja hear that?! Aren’t I the funniest punniest bear alive! I am just to die for!”

“Now, you clearly didn’t call us here _just_ to exercise.” Sakura spoke up.

“ _Just_ to exercise! Now, if exercise makes you laugh, it can make you cry! If you train your body, you can uncover the secret power ‘Assassin’s Fist’!”

Leon rolled his eyes. “Obviously that’s a load of bull.”

“Get to the point.” Makoto stared pointedly at the bear. “Did you really call us here to exercise?”

“Of course not! Do you think I have that kinda free time on my hands?”

“Then…”

“Ahem! I have an announcement! Every time you overcome a class trial here at Hope's Peak, a _whole new world_ will open up to you!”

A whole new world?

“It'd really suck if you had to live here forever with nothing new to stimulate you! Besides, I know how you kids get these days with your ADD and ADHD. I gotta keep you motivated! So go ahead, look around all you want! Enjoy the brave new post-trial world till you explode!” With that, he disappeared.

“A whole new world, huh?” Leon wondered aloud.

“Maybe,” Hina raised her voice, “it’s a way out!”

Celeste twirled her hair around her finger. “Obviously not.”

“Well we won’t know until we look!” Mondo shouted angrily.

“I guess we should search the school one more time then.” Sakura spoke calmly.

“Okay Everyone. We’ll Search Then Meet At The Dining Hall To Share Our Findings!” Taka yelled, still in a starfish pose.

Byakuya crossed his arms and scoffed. “You really are a one-trick pony, you know that?”

Taka nodded, emboldened, oblivious to the jab. “More Like A Staple Food Source! Now Let’s Get Moving!”

And with that, everyone went their separate ways. A whole new world? Obviously that would refer to a second floor, so most of the students would be up there. Less people would check the dorm area, right? Although, there was a staircase there too. Leon huffed, frustrated, but decided to check the “despair hotel” area just in case. He made his way to the dining hall towards the warehouse.

Leon rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks. In front of him was Taka. And the staircase. With a gate still in front of it.

“Damn. I thought this one was gonna be open.” He breathed.

“I Guess Not.” Taka replied, rubbing his temples. “No Worries! We’ll Find Something!” He turned and marched past Leon.

Leon smacked his forehead. “Damn. And I was so sure too.” He made his way to the curtains that were now not covered with yellow caution tape. “Bath house, okay.”

He pushed the curtains out of the way and stepped inside. To his right were 16 wooden cubbies, each with a small red key in their respective locks. Four benches lay in a neat square, and in the back there was a sink area with cabinets and little toiletries. Two massage chairs sat in the corner of the room, and two leafy plants waved at him. Although the room was busy, it was nice that they had a place to relax. Leon turned to his left towards the door and stopped short.

 _Almost forgot to take my shoes off!_

Leon quickly removed his shoes while chuckling lightly. In such a strange place, it was nice to have a sense of normality every once in a while. 

The bath part of the bath house was just that—a bath. There were buckets and stools and the little detachable shower heads and a large pool-like tub in the center. He had a smaller version of that back at his house, and his family would take trips up north to visit the mountains where they had the hot springs and onsens. He longed for one of those moments with his family, but not now. _When we find a way out._ He pushed the thought to the edge of his mind. In the back was the sauna, but Leon didn’t feel the need to search further. _Nothing here, not anything useful. Well, whatever._

Still, it was familiar, and familiarity was nostalgia. All good things, all good memories. Leon had the feeling he would be returning to the bath house often.

Leon put his shoes on and exited. _Time to find the second floor._

Then Leon’s handbook dinged. _I’ll check it once I get up the stairs._

He made his way towards the gym. The other staircase was around there, right? It’s not that he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings on the way to the warehouse staircase but it _may_ have slipped his mind.

Leon walked around the weird pillar square next to the student store. What kinda building was this, anyways, and who built it? _Weird guy, huh._ Well, not like he cared too much. He walked up to the gym but stopped before turning. _Stairs!_

Leon took the stairs two at a time, ready to explore whatever was waiting up there. Maybe there would be a game room, or a computer lab, something interesting, he hoped. He reached the top and flicked his eyes left and right, like a cat crossing the road. To his right was a wall, but to his left were big, nautical-looking purple doors. “Pool.” Cool. Hina was probably there, seeing as she was the Ultimate Swimmer, so he was confident that she would report her findings. No need to go inside. He creeped up to the bathrooms, but he didn’t need to go.

Leon walked forwards and slightly right, reaching a large area with gloomy, pink lighting. There were a bunch of pillars, again, _who and why?_ The windows were bolted, like downstairs, but nothing out of the ordinary for such a school.

“Well, time to check.” He whispered, pulling the handbook out of his pocket. The screen glowed bright blue underneath the magenta beams, forcing Leon’s eyes into a squint. A yellow tab highlighted “rules” with a small number 1 next to the label. He clicked.

_Lending your e-Handbook to another student is strictly prohibited._

Huh. _There go all my plans._ He snickered. What a weird rule.

Leon turned around and surveyed the door. Class 2A. He pushed the doors open and Sakura and a stupid drawing on the blackboard welcomed him. 

“This is what he meant by new world.” Sakura spoke softly.

“Yeah. Kinda weird so far, huh?”

She chuckled. “Yeah. I’m going to take a really close look around.”

Leon nodded and waved before exiting. He walked towards the door with the label “library” above it. He pushed the handle to enter, and paused. He heard a voice.

“Throughout the years, we have been committed to shaping the youth who will one day shape the world. We have a long, proud history as an institution of higher learning with full government support. Our graduates enter society ready to take on active leadership roles in every major job field.” The voice, belonging to Makoto, paused. He took a sharp inhale and continued. “However, Hope's Peak Academy must now lower the curtain on its glorious history, for the time being. Huh? Oh hey.” Makoto nodded at Leon, who had fully entered the room, curious.

“Keep reading.” It was Byakuya. He shot a glance at Leon before he pushed his glasses up with a finger. Makoto nodded.

“This decision was not an easy one to make, but serious issues beyond our control have made it necessary. But make no mistake—this is not the end for Hope's Peak Academy. We intend to reopen out doors as soon as the issues forcing our closure have been resolved. That being said, this is the end for now, and I would like to personally and sincerely thank everyone for your help and support over the years. For now, we are awaiting official governmental authorization to formally cease operations." Makoto looked up from the document in his hands.

“W-what does that all mean?” Leon murmured.

“Hmmm.” Byakuya folded his arms. “The contents of this letter are quite interesting indeed.”

Kyoko looked down before speaking. “It would seem Hope’s Peak had stopped functioning as a school.”

“Huh?”

She continued. “Judging by the amount of dust on this letter, I’d say this letter could be at least a year old.”

“So… you’re saying Hope’s Peak closed down at least a year ago?” Makoto asked.

Byakuya shrugged. “Most likely, the mastermind took over the abandoned school in order to put on this little performance.”

Leon shook his head. “Hold on. Abandoned? But I remember walking in on my own and waking up at a desk.”

Makoto agreed. “Y-yeah. That would mean it was closed when I got here just a few days ago. But I didn’t get that sense at all.”

“Me either.” Leon crossed his arms.

“Plus, if the school had shut down, don’t you think it would’ve been in all the newspapers and stuff? I mean, you’re saying it could’ve happened a year ago, right? But before I got here, I looked stuff up online about the school, and never saw anything about this.”

A wave of silence washed over the four in the room.

“That must have all been part of the mastermind’s plan. They lured us all in here. Someone who could create a place to judge and execute people could potentially be capable of anything.” Byakuya paused. “Of course, that’s all assuming that this letter is real.”

“If it is real, though, that does solve one mystery surrounding the school.” Kyoko shot back. “The reason there are no other students here could be because the school had already closed down.”

Byakuya wore a snooty grin. “That would be a nice, simple solution, it’s true.”

Then what about the letter being a year old? It was just sitting there collecting dust? If that was true, then the timeline surrounding them didn’t add up at all.

“What about the part about serious issues?” Makoto piped up. “That’s apparently why the school had to close. Is there any connection between that and what’s happening to us now?”

“I mean, they probably are. Except we don’t know how.”

Kyoko agreed with Leon’s statement. “Uncovering that connection would be a useful clue, on top of figuring out the mastermind’s motive. Although I can’t say more until we find more details.”

Byakuya grimaced. “so in other words, only the mastermind knows the truth at the moment.”

The room was quiet for a second until Makoto cleared his throat awkwardly. “I think I’ve seen everything up here. I’m going to head to the dining hall.”

Leon nodded. “Count me in.”

Leon trailed behind Makoto, lost in thought. The letter detailed that one, there was some issue that caused the school to shut down, two, it happened a year ago, and three, somehow they didn’t know about it when they came to the school. He grasped at the straws of his mind to try to come up with a somewhat logical solution. Maybe Hope’s Peak had another location and they had been relocated after arriving to cover up the school closure? No, the administration would have told them to go to a different location. And that wouldn't make sense if Hope's Peak had completely shut down. Maybe they were in an underground facility? Sure, that would explain the lack of windows and outdoor exposure. But when would the school have taken that action? That seemed to have too many “ifs” and “buts.” And there were no clues as to what “issues” had taken place. Leon sighed. He wouldn’t figure it out anytime soon.

When the pair arrived at the dining hall, everyone but Byakuya and Kyoko were sitting, chatting, so they sat down and waited until the other two entered. 

“Okay, Ladies And Gentlemen! How Did It Go? Did Anyone Discover Anything Interesting Or New?” Taka’s voice boomed.

Leon started to raise his hand before remembering he didn’t need to. “There’s a library.”

“And a pool! A freaking pool! And locker rooms filled with exercise equipment!” Hina almost bounced off the walls, earning her a few giggles.

Sakura smiled, watching her friend and crossing her arms. “However, there was nothing related to an escape route.”

Makoto nodded glumly. “Yeah, all the windows are still bolted, even on the second floor.”

“No Reason To Get All Sulky! I Made An Amazing Discovery!” Taka paused and Leon could see confidence surge through the boy’s veins. “The Bath House Is Now Open For Use!”

Leon smiled. He was really going to enjoy those massage chairs.

“That’s it?” Mondo groaned. “Your ‘amazing discovery,’” he mocked Taka, using air quotes, “was a bath? Not a fuckin’ way outta here?”

Taka took a step back, dropping his smile. “Oh, Well…”

“Nothing to get our asses outta here? Yeah, nice going.”

“Unfortunately, No… Not That I Saw…” Taka looked down.

Mondo facepalmed. “You fuckin’ people…” He looked up. “Who gives a shit if there’s a goddamn pool? We’re still trapped here!”

Celeste smiled. “Now, now, there’s no point in taking your anger out on us. Adaptation is key, yes? For now we must each find a way to enjoy our current situation.”

“Whatever you say, ya fuckin’ loon.”

“Are we done here?” A quiet voice shot from the back of the room. Leon turned and saw Kyoko shaking her head.

Taka nodded somberly. “Well… I Suppose.” But before he had finished, she was gone.

The air of the room was unmoving and cold like molasses. Sensing his own awkwardness and weariness, Leon cleared his throat and waved at the group before leaving. He trekked towards the library, grabbing a zombie novel called “Shuck,” and exited for the bath house. He streamlined to the chair closest to the wall and jumped. Leon smiled, too lazy to turn the chair on. He flipped to the first page.

_"I miss breathing."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly this is probably me projecting but if I was in drthh I would spend all my damn time in those massage chairs. cause the beds ingame look like cardboard boxes and uncomfortable lmao


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Sayaka time, she's just doing her best :)

Sayaka placed careful steps onto black and white checkers. The purple lights reflected onto her face as she stood in front of the daunting crimson door. Truthfully, she hadn’t gone there of her own will. She had been wandering the halls, mindlessly flailing her arms and coordinating her feet until she fell into a rhythm. Soon Sayaka had found herself staring blankly up at the trial room doors and her body had ceased all movement, arms falling to her sides, feet marching to a stop.

Color returned to her eyes, and the gears of Sayaka’s brain began to grind from a halt, faster until she realized where she was.

Weird. She didn’t mean to come here.

Sayaka hadn't spent her time from the past two days productively. She had meant to meet and speak with Makoto, but her guilt, _her weakness,_ prevented her from ever taking a step in that direction. Hina was able to tell something was up, but Sayaka never responded other than simple yeses and nos when the cheerful girl pressed. Still, Sayaka couldn’t help but respect her perseverance towards her wellbeing; it must be nice to have such a kind heart. 

All the girls had some aspect of caring surrounding them. Hina used her words. Sakura had a twinkle in her eye, and assured everyone that she could be relied on. Chihiro spent more time with Mondo than anyone else, but it was nice that he was opening up to the programmer. Even Celeste, with her simple elegance, and Toko, who poured her heart and soul into her novels—Sayaka had read a few—some of the most closed off of the group. Junko too, may she be in peaceful rest, with her playful banter.

And of course, there was Kyoko. Her stone mask, her facade, was impermeable. Her face didn’t give away her subtle kindness, however. Her hands did. Her touch was so delicate, everything she used cradled with absolute care. And even though Sayaka hadn’t paid it much attention at the time, warmth had streamed into her shoulder from where Kyoko had given a comforting touch. 

Yeah. Kyoko. She had given Sayaka that paper. _Talk to Makoto, he’s still your friend._ Yeah! Sayaka didn’t have to tell him what she’d done, just tell him she was reliable and that she’d prove herself! Maybe he wouldn’t get it, but it was her first step onto the path that Kyoko had begun to pave for her sake.

Sayaka brought a fist up to her chest and humphed in triumph. Gone were the thoughts of self doubt and pity, she had a job to do. A quest on her adventure to forgiveness. She needed to prove that she was a good person, she knew it best. Actions speak louder than intentions. Words were just the first step.

Sayaka first dashed to the kitchen to soak lentils. They would come in handy later. Food was remedy to the heart, and cooking brought people closer together. She knew that very well.

Sayaka skipped to the dorms, sensing that Makoto was probably sitting in his room. She felt a small shot of ice enter her veins—not much different from when she was performing on stage. She shook her head, there was no use thinking about the past now. It had dragged her down before, she would _not_ let it happen again. Smiling, Sayaka rang the buzzer outside of Makoto’s room.

Thankfully, a groggy looking boy let his door creak open. He smiled sheepishly at Sayaka.

“Hey.” Makoto yawned. “Is there something you need?”

Sayaka held her forearm behind her back. “Yeah. It’s around lunchtime, and I was wondering if you wanted to go to get some food and maybe talk a little with me.”

Makoto blinked the tiredness from his eyes. “Uh-sure! Yeah, that sounds fun.”

“Great!” Sayaka smiled as Makoto exited his room. He started walking.

“Wait, aren’t you gonna lock your door?”

Makoto jumped, then he turned around. “Oh! Sorry, I just woke up from a nap, so it slipped my mind. Thanks for reminding me.”

Sayaka nodded. “Of course! You can rely on me!”

Makoto locked his door and gave a nervous smile.

“Do you like Indian food?” Sayaka asked attentively.

“Huh?” Makoto paused, then kept walking. “There’s not a lot of Indian cuisine around where I live, so I’ve only had it once or twice, but yeah, it was really good!”

Sayaka nodded. Great! That was the one savory food she knew how to make. Her aunt had visited from New York City once, and made a yellow dal for her since her parents were working. Since then, she had made it at least once every three or so months. 

“Okay, awesome!” She grinned, skipping to the kitchen. “Do you want to help me cook?”

A fire lit up behind Makoto’s eyes. “Yeah! That sounds super fun!”

Sayaka zipped to the dining hall and ducked into the kitchen. Her lentils were sitting on the counter, soaking, as she had left them.

“Do you want me to put some rice on?” Makoto asked, entering the kitchen a bit after her.

Sayaka beamed. “Yes please! That’d be very helpful!”

The excited girl brought out a cutting board and glanced towards the knives. All six of them were lined up perfectly. She shook her head. _Stop! Thinking! About! Your! Past! Mistakes! It’s! Time! To! Make! Amends!_ She hesitated, but grabbed a large knife to slice a tomato. The lentils seemed done, so she drained the liquid and threw them into a large pot. Sayaka poured in water quickly tossed the tomato in. She turned on the stove, waited for the concoction to boil, and set a timer. 

“Okay, Makoto,” he trotted over to her like a puppy at the call of his name. “Here’s the thing. Would you rather pick out the tomato skins and then whisk the lentils, or do you want to chop an onion?”

Makoto chuckled awkwardly. “I’d rather stay away from onions, thanks.”

Sayaka pumped her fist. “Alright!” She pointed him to the chopsticks and told him to toss the skins in the sink, and placed a whisk on the counter.

In her hand sat a large red onion. Sayaka brought herself and the cutting board to the sink, swiftly cut the tear-maker in half, and rinsed it under cold water. She peeled back the skin, turning the water off, and diced as quickly as she could. Luckily, she had done this many times, so onions were not a big deal. She put the onions in a bowl and rinsed the cutting board. She minced some garlic and brought the spices out.

Sayaka licked her lips. Now came the fun part. But first, “Makoto, do you like spicy food?”

Makoto shivered. “No, I’m quite weak.”

Sayaka chuckled. “It’s no problem. Mild it is!”

She brought the oil to smoke in a non-stick skillet. “You might want to get out of the way for this. The oil is very hot.”

Nodding, the boy stepped away from the stove. In a salt-bae-like fashion, Sayaka sprinkled the cumin seeds in the pan. The oil was very surprised and attempted to punch Sayaka in its fiery anger, but she jumped away, years of experience fueling her motions.

Makoto’s mouth dropped open in awe. “You’re really good at this, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Sayaka nodded, “and dancing around the stage really helps too!”

Time seemed to slow down. Makoto smiled somberly. “Were your band members on your motive video?”

The oil seemed to sense the sadness and it stopped its fighting. Sayaka nodded silently.

“How are you holding up?”

“A lot… a lot worse than you might expect.”

Makoto almost gasped. “If there’s anything I can do for you, just reach out.”

Sayaka turned to face the shorter boy. She could feel a tear climbing up, banging on the doors of her ducts. Then she smiled.

“You too, okay? You don’t have to be strong for everyone.”

Makoto seemed taken by surprise. He took a step back, hitting the counter. He only smiled meekly.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” His smile brightened. “For now, let’s just cook, okay?”

Sayaka nodded, energy surging back into her movements. “Yeah, let’s go!” She gestured towards the bowl of onions and Makoto tossed them in, causing the oil to flair back up. Makoto jumped back, a small “ow!” echoing through the room, followed by him assuring Sayaka that he was just surprised.

Sayaka used a bamboo spoon to sauté the onions. She threw in the garlic and tossed the ingredients around until the onions were soft and a nice caramel color. She motioned for Makoto to bring her the spices she had mixed together.

“Do you want to stir?”

Makoto beamed. “Yes please!” He took over the bamboo spoon.

Sayaka laughed and headed to the refrigerator. There, she got out the butter and cilantro. She shut the fridge and headed back to the stove.

“Okay, one more thing. Can you pour the spice mix into the lentils for me?”

“Yes ma’am!” Makoto laughed, pure, crisp. Little bubbles seemed to filled the space around him. What a nice person to be around. Luckily, the skillet was light enough for the scrawny boy to hold with one hand while the other scraped the edges of the pan into the large pot.

Once he was done, Sayaka picked leaves off the cilantro and tossed them into the dal, and cut off a slab of butter into the mixture.

“Aaaaand—” Sayaka stuck her tongue out, almost cartoonishly, and shut one eye. “There! We did it!” She turned around and high-fived her sous chef. His eyes were glimmering with exhilaration. “And right on time, too! The rice is done!”

Makoto nodded. “Time to eat!” He walked to the cabinet containing both regular and serving utensils and decorated bowls. He grabbed two large ceramic bowls and two sets of chopsticks, as well as the rice paddle. 

He served them both and they sat themselves down at the table.

Sayaka placed her hands together in a prayer-like motion. “Thank you for this meal!”

Makoto smiled and copied her. “Let’s eat!”

And they dug in.

“Wow! This is so… It’s so good!” Makoto exclaimed, awe making his voice rise in excitement.

“I- wow, it really is!” Sayaka was a bit taken aback. When she usually made it, it hadn’t tasted this good! Was this making food with heart? The combination wormed its way into her chest. Sayaka felt a tear roll down her face.

“This is grea—hey, are you okay?” Worried washed over Makoto’s features.

Sayaka wiped the tear away. “Yeah, I guess I’m a bit overwhelmed. This is amazing!” 

Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness!”

They continued their meal, chatting about their lives before Hope’s Peak. Sayaka laughed at his story of bad luck the day he had gotten his invitation to the school. He was the Ultimate Luck, but it really seemed like he was the Ultimate Make-Good-Things-Out-Of-Terrible-Situations. They both finished their lunches, stuffed.

“Wow! That was really good!”

“I know right! It’s never turned out like that before.”

“Maybe it was the power of friendship!” Makoto joked.

“Hah, maybe!”

“Ah! I think I’m going to go into a food coma now!” 

“That’s great! Why don’t you head back to your dorm, and I can clean up here?”

“Nah, I’ll help you out. We both made it, so we’re both on cleaning duty!”

Sayaka put her hand up to her mouth to stifle a chuckle. “Okay, and then after, you’ll rest up well!”

Makoto nodded. “Yep! For sure!”

They headed to the kitchen and washed all the dishes. The dal was kept in the pot and placed gently in the fridge. There was enough for 6 more servings. Hopefully the other students wouldn’t get super nosy and steal their food.

The last dish, the skillet, was placed in the drying rack. Makoto wiped at his brow. “Woah, I’m winded! I think I’m gonna sleep it off.”

Sayaka nodded. “That’s a good idea, I think I’ll do the same.”

“Walk together?”

“Yeah.” Sayaka smiled.

They made their way to the dorms. When they walked in front of Makoto’s room, he stopped and waved as Sayaka continued. She returned the gesture, satisfied. She entered her room, exhausted, locked her door, and flopped on her bed. What a good way to spend the day! She suspected that they had not eaten around lunchtime, but much, much later. Hopefully, night time would be approaching quickly. She breathed a sigh of heavy relief. Hope flowered in her heart. 

_I am worth it. I am worthy of forgiveness. I brought happiness to another person today! I’m making up for my mistakes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that the time doesn't match up at all but this is fiction so time works how I want it to. I'm the god of this world.  
> Again, I always say this now, but this is me projecting. Yes, my aunt did introduce me to this recipe.  
> Link:  
> https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/06/everyday-yellow-dal/  
> It is so, so good I highly recommend this recipe.  
> But WOW writing about cooking is super fun!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second motive! But first, a sauna contest and Leon time!

Two nights had passed since the first class trial had taken place. Two nights had passed since they had lost three of their fellow students, all technically in one day. Leon had decided not to think about it. Nope, it was just as bad as letting the orchestrator into his head for them to take hold of his strings and pull him along like a puppet. Absolutely not. So Leon did what he did best. He didn’t think.

Leon had been in the kitchen to make himself a piece of bread with whatever spread was available. As soon as he walked in, the smell of sweet, salty, spicy, _something_ filled the air. It was wonderful, so he snuck a peek in the fridge in hopes of finding a jackpot. And he did, in the form of a saucepan. It was a yellowish lumpy mixture with flairs of red and green mixed in. Leon had wondered who had made it and if they would be okay if he took some. Hopefully it didn’t belong to their resident rich prick. He had only shrugged before spooning some onto plain white bread. 

The flavor was indescribable to him. Leon hadn’t had anything like that before. To be fair, he had never traveled out of the country, because baseball had kept him so grounded in Japan that his parents and coaches never let him do anything else. He hated to say it, but his other skills were rather limited.

And he blamed his lack of those better skills when he failed to dodge a certain predicament outside the kitchen.

“Leon! Perfect Timing!” A certain red-eyed moral compass stopped poor Leon in his tracks, almost knocking his unfinished sandwich out of his hand.

“Jesus, you surprised me dude!”

“Leon, I have a favor to ask!” Mondo shouted, almost flinging spit onto his face. “You need to be our witness!”

“To what?”

“This guy,” Mondo pointed accusingly at Taka, “has been talking’ mad shit ever since we got here! Calling me a coward and stuff!”

“You Are A Coward! That’s Why You Resort To Violence And Strut Around In That Impossibly Informal Attire All The Time!”

“You don’t know anything!”

“Sure, But I Know You Hide Behind Your Status Because You Are A Coward!”

“And you’re sayin’ you’re not? You think you’re tougher than me?”

“I Know I Am!”

“Then let’s have a throw down! Prove to me you got what I don’t!”

Taka’s nostrils flared. “Challenge Accepted!”

Leon nodded. “So that’s what's happening, a challenge between men. Alright, I’ll be your witness, but lemme finish my food first.”

Mondo and Taka obliged, and sat in an awkward limbo while Leon ate.

“Sho, whatta you tchoo doing for your challenche?” Leon asked through messy bites.

“Well, there’s the sauna on the first floor, right?” Mondo offered.

Taka nodded sharply. “I See! A Simple Endurance Contest!”

Leon swallowed. “Then whoever comes out first is the loser. I see.” He wolfed down the rest of his snack. “Alright then, let’s get going. I’d like to sleep tonight.”

The trio walked to the sauna in silence. _Surprising, considering they’ve been at each other’s throats this entire time._ They arrived at Leon’s favorite spot, but passed and made their way towards the sauna.

Leon was the first to break the silence. “Okay, get going. Good luck.”

“Tsk.” Mondo looked down.

“It’ll Be Done In A Matter Of Minutes! Guys Like Him Are All Talk!”

“Bring it! Hell, let’s make this more interesting! A real challenge!”

 _Like this wasn’t challenging enough for normal people._

“We’re gonna battle with all our clothes on!” Mondo spat.

Taka took a step back. “Th-That’s Idiotic! Suicidal!”

“What, you scared?”

“Just hurry it up already.” Leon waved his finger in a circle. He had agreed to this, but it didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.

Taka nodded and stripped down, covering himself with a towel, before giving Mondo a deadly stare, which was returned with equal intensity.

“And—Go!” The boys threw the sauna door open and took their places next to each other. After at least five minutes, if Leon’s internal clock was anywhere near accurate, the challengers continued to sit in silence, filling the sauna with their determination and sweat.

Leon took out his handbook and tried to fidget with it however he could. Anything to pass the time.

“H-Hey Mondo. You Can Ta-Take Off Your Uniform, I Won’t Judge.”

“Sh-shut up and mind your business. Your face is all… it’s all red. You look like a fucking hot spring monkey.”

“I Was B-Born With A Naturally Red Face!”

“You don’t gotta talk all big, man.”

Leon sighed. The only interactive things the handbook had was the map and the ‘truth bullets’ section which was just a fancy note taking app. He decided to waste time writing wack conspiracy theories. 

Leon began getting sucked in to his current task. Minutes passed, he didn’t know how many, but enough to type nineteen pages of useless notes, until anyone spoke again.

“D-Don’t You Think… It I-Is About Time You Gave Up?”

“What about you? You can hardly talk… dumbass.”

“Wh-What! I’m Fine. In Fact, I Think I’m Starting To Feel Cold!.” Leon could almost hear Mondo shiver at the Taka’s words.

“Th-that’s not good.” He mumbled.

Right then, the night time announcement played.

“Well I did tell you guys I wanted to sleep tonight, and I trust your honor enough to not lie about the winner. Have fun, you two.” Leon waved, expecting and receiving no response. He trudged to his bedroom, and sat gently on his bed before lying down.

“What dumbasses.” Leon smiled. Those two would be fine.

“Ah. Gotta brush teeth. Then I can relax.” Even though the water was turned off, he had stocked up on the swallow-kind of toothpaste, so it was no big deal.

Leon finished his nightly routine and tucked himself into his sheets. Not an uneventful day. _Taka and Mondo, what a strange duo. And who had made that delicious sauce?_ Sure, he had only taken a small amount then, but the self restraint it would take to hold him back from more made Leon shiver. _Kudos to that chef._

Leon chuckled, and sleep draped it’s soft fingers around his consciousness.

* * *

Leon groaned. He stood outside of the dining hall, and the noise of whatever ruckus happening reached his tired ears. Cautiously, he entered the dining hall, hoping there wasn’t a full blown fight or something of the sort. He snorted in surprise.

Mondo had one arm wrapped around Taka’s shoulders. They were laughing, telling jokes, and calling each other “bro.”

“Oh hey, Leon!” Mondo waved him over.

“We’d Like To Thank You For Being Our Witness!” Taka shouted.

Leon stood, flabbergasted. “I-uh, yeah, no problem.” He put his arm behind his head, slightly embarrassed. He turned to Makoto, sitting next to him. “Are they friends now?”

Hina scoffed before Makoto could respond. “They’ve been all buddy-buddy all morning.” She shrugged. “It feels kinda gross.”

“Gross?” Mondo looked ticked off. “Hell no! Feels great, more like!”

“Forget Her, Bro! A Girl Like Her Wouldn’t Understand Our Manly Bond!” _That sounds a little problematic._ Taka continued. “Friendship Between Men Is Stronger Than Blood! Women Could Never Understand!”

“Bro, that was cool as shit! I wanna get that tattooed!”

“No, Bro, Your Body Is A Temple, Given To You By Your Parents!”

Leon sighed. “I’m not gonna even ask who won, looks like you’ve got your issues sorted.”

“We Took Care Of It Like Real Men!”

Makoto whispered into Leon’s ear. “Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?”

Leon leaned back. “Yeah, they had an endurance contest in the sauna last night, to try to prove something. But this is better than them being at each other’s throats I guess.”

“Ah, I see.”

Sakura crossed her arms. “Friendship between men seems very simple. Nothing that I’m used to with other girls.”

“Yeah,” Hina sighed, “you don’t say.”

“But for real,” Leon muttered, staring at the ceiling, “this could get real annoying real fast.”

Breakfast continued, dominated by “bro”s and extremely loud laughing.

“Oh yeah, Makoto, you know a lot of stuff, right?” Leon asked.

“Hmm?” Makoto offered a small smile. “I-I guess?”

“Do you know who made the yellow stuff in the fridge?”

Makoto pondered for a second before his eyes lit up. “Oh! You mean the dal? Yeah, me and Sayaka made it yesterday!” 

Leon took a nervous breath. “You wouldn’t be mad if, perhaps, I may have taken a little last night?”

Makoto’s smile widened. “Nope, I don’t mind at all! How was it?”

Leon relaxed. “It was really good. I only spread a little on some bread, but it wasn’t like anything I’d ever had before.”

“That’s great!” Makoto paused, leaning his face closer and squinting his eyes as if searching for something on Leon’s face. “Do you want to hang out after breakfast?”

“Huh? Oh, sure, why not.”

Letting out a satisfied “Ah” noise, Makoto got up and motioned to the kitchen with a questioning expression. Leon nodded and started moving, grabbing his dish.

“How are you holding up?” Leon asked the shorter boy.

“Honestly,” he began, walking out of the dining hall, “I’m doing better than expected.”

“Yeah, you seem pretty chill, even after you got punched.” Leon chuckled a little, before waving his hands out in front of him. “Ah, that’s not exactly what I meant. More like, you’ve had it tough, but you seem better.”

Makoto nodded. “How about you?”

“I’m not afraid, just… mad.” Leon sighed, feeling his hand curl up into a ball. “I mean, I have a right to be, being trapped here and all.”

“I’m surprised that more people I’ve talked to aren’t mad.”

“It’s just…” Leon grunted, “it’s unfair.” He turned to completely face the shorter boy. “Why us?”

Makoto stood, silent. A moment passed, “I… I don’t know. We’re just good at things, right? Although luck isn’t really a talent, huh.” He let out a forced laugh, attempting to lighten the mood.

“Well, it’s still good enough that it got you here. I know,” Leon slapped his hand onto Makoto’s shoulder, “maybe you’re actually super unlucky!”

Makoto’s jaw dropped. Leon laughed. “Sorry, dude, that was kinda mean. But hey, at least you don’t gotta be cooped up at baseball games and stuff all the time!”

“Huh?”

Leon paused, “Uh-umm, I mean, all the teachers and coaches would beg me to play, and I gave in, so they shaved my head and forced me to play nonstop.”

“O-oh, I didn’t know that, sorry.”

“Nah, I brought it up. But besides, who has fun running around a dusty field for three hours?”

“You really hate baseball then?”

“Well, it wasn’t all bad. I didn’t have to study, sports scholarships and all, and I got to show off to more than a few people!”

“A few people?”

Leon looked away. _Crap! Said too much again._ “Don’t worry about it. They’re not in this dumb school, so I’m not going to think about them until I get out. That’s all I got going for me, but I’m sticking to it.”

Makoto beamed. “Yeah, that’s good. We always have to have hope in our hearts.”

“So what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Well, you were accepted by lottery, and there aren’t really any hobbies about luck, are there?”

“Ah, no. Not really.” Makoto’s mood dimmed a little. “I was just average, and got accepted by chance. Like really, really, plain. Think nuclear family, white picket fence, that kind of normal.”

“But there was something, right? ”

“I mean, I helped with the garden at school? Oh, this is random, but the day I got the letter from Hope’s Peak, I accidentally caught a jewel thief. And blew up a motorcycle.”

“See? I told yo—you wHAT?”

“Well, it’s a long story, but short version is that I took the long way home, dropped some cans in the road, ran into an old guy and had to chase after him since he left his phone on a bench, hopped on a bus, lost my balance, ripped a dude’s bag. Then a bunch of stolen jewelry fell out, and he pulled a knife on me. He ran off the bus, tried to steal some poor guy’s motorcycle, and then it exploded because it ran over one of the cans I dropped in the road. Exciting, right?”

“Wow, that’s…” Leon paused. “I was kinda right then, you are super unlucky! But from that bad luck, a criminal was caught, right? So it’s not all bad!”

“I guess… I guess you’re right! Thanks, Leon!” Makoto grinned.

“Y-yeah, for sure, dude.”

They stood there for a few seconds before Leon cleared his throat.

“Well, I’m beat even though I didn’t do anything today. I’m gonna head out for a nap.”

“Sounds good, I think I’ll do the same. And really,” Makoto put emphasis on his words, “thanks. I guess my luck really isn’t all that bad in the end.”

“No problem. If you start doubting yourself, find me and I’ll give you a pep talk.”

“Thanks!” Makoto waved.

* * *

“Ahem! School announcement, school announcement. Night time is quickly approaching, but before it arrives… All students, please gather in the gym immediately. Emergency! Emergency!”

_Literally shut up. No one wants to hear your stupid announcement, eat shit, I hate that stupid bear with his stupid stubby-ass arms and weird-ass color scheme. What kinda whack-job designed it anyways? I just want to sleep, leave me alone._

So he thought, but Leon knew better than to disobey the bear’s orders. He saw what had happened to Junko, and he did _not_ want to end up like her.

Leon wandered to the gym, pushing sleep off like a blanket and leaving it in his room. That bear better have a _good_ reason for disturbing his nap, although it wasn’t a deep, rejuvenating nap at all. Leon’s step faltered for a moment. _I missed dinner! Dammit._ Before he knew it, he was at the ugly gym doors. 

“He’d better have a good reason for this,” he repeated, although as a whisper this time. Not that it mattered, no one was around anyways. Leon presumed they had all gone in already, he had taken a little while to get there.

Leon pushed the doors open, unsurprised to find himself last and Hina and Byakuya bickering. Something about police?

“Hey, this may sound weird, but I heard construction noises last night when I was returning to my room.” Sayaka’s voice sounded concerned. Construction? Not rare near a school zone, but this was a rare, no, almost inconceivable situation.

“Y-you probably just,, made that all up, cause… because you’re so sc-scared!”

“Say whaaat? Watchoo talking about, Toko?!” A loud, shrill voice boomed from the front of the room. It cackled before showing the face of the deranged bear keeping them captive. “Construction? No, but it could’ve been an explosion! Or even better yet, a machine gun!”

“What are you saying?” Makoto’s small, angry voice retorted. 

“Ah ah, my lips are sealed from here on! It’s a secret secret now!”

“And? Are you going to tell us what you called us here for?” Kyoko cut back.

“You really get straight to the point! But I’m going to go on a rant, you wouldn’t mind, would you? If I’m going to be honest, these creaky joints just can’t stay put! There’s not enough excitement, entertainment, _danger!_ Listen, the blackened hasn’t shown up yet, and I’m bored! So! I’ve got a little _something_ to motivate you!”

Makoto squinted at Monokuma. “Motive? Like the videos again?”

“I Don’t Know What You’ve Got Planned, But We Will _Not_ Murder Each Other Anymore! I Swear On My Brotherly Bond, We Won’t Kill!” Taka yelled.

“Aw, you sure do talk big! Well, I do hope you keep that energy, but I’ll start! This time, it’s your embarrassing memories and secrets! As long as you’re breathing, there’s things you don’t want other people to know! So I did some investigating, and dug up your dirtiest, deepest, darkest secrets! Y’know, you all are lucky I put them in envelopes with your names on them, and that I’m handing them out to you individually and not just tossing them up in the air to see you people scramble! Know my mercy!”

With that, he went to each person, and true to his word, tossed each of them the envelope with their name on it.

Leon snatched the envelope off the floor and tore the paper, eyes almost latching onto the paper as he read his “dirtiest, deepest, darkest secret.”

_Leon’s cousin has a crush on him, and he gave her a little task to see if she was good enough for him!_

Leon paled. The secret itself wasn’t too bad, but the wording was incriminating. He wasn’t a relative kind of guy! And it wasn’t his fault that his cousin had feelings for him. Sure, he still loved her, but not like _that._

Hushed whispers and gasps of disbelief filled the gym.

“You have 24 hours! If someone doesn't become blackened by then… all your deepest, darkest, most embarrassing-est secrets will be exposed to the world! Maybe I'll roll by a crowded intersection in a van strapped with loudspeakers and spill the beans!”

“Sure, I’d rather this not get out, but this isn’t something I could kill another person over.” Makoto explained, rather calmly.

“Y-Yeah! Your Plan Is Doomed To Fail! No One’s Gonna Murder Over This Sort Of Thing!” Taka shouted in agreement.

At that, Monokuma’s bear head drooped and he seemed to fall into a depression. “Is that so? Could it be that, for better or for worse, you all don’t care? I have things I wouldn’t want _anyone_ knowing about me, so I just assumed you’d all be the same… And after all the effort I put into this, too! So you’re really not going to kill each other? I guess I’ll release all this after 24 hours, just to make myself feel better.” The bear sighed, almost comically, and disappeared.

“Y’know I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m thinking we dodged a bullet with this one.” Hina spoke first. “I mean yeah, having your secrets exposed will be super embarrassing, but it’s not worth killing over.”

Taka nodded. “Good News! Why Don’t We Leave This All Behind Us And Share Our Secrets Here And Now? If We Do That, Any Motive To Kill Will Be Gone! Good Idea, Right?”

“N-No!” Toko shouted, almost louder than Taka’s regular voice.

“W-What?”

“I don’t w-want to talk about it! No m-matter what anybody… no matter what anyone says, I don’t wanna t-talk about mine!”

Celeste clutched her envelope to her chest. “Me neither. Not because it is unpleasant, but because it is impossible.”

“I agree with them. There’s no reason to discuss it.” Byakuya crossed his arms.

“What Do You Think, Chihiro?” Taka asked, voice shaking.

“U-um, sorry, I don’t want to talk about it.” The programmer looked on the verge of tears. “But I don’t want to leave things the way they are. I’ll—I’m going to do my best to get stronger. Th-then I might be able to tell you guys.”

“You don’t have to. I’m not psyched about this either.” Hina agreed.

“If everyone’s this much against it, then even if my bro suggested it, I’m going to have to pass as well.” Mondo looked away from Taka and at the ground.

“I-I Guess That’s Alright, Bro. I’ll Drop The Secret Talk, But Prepare Yourselves. 24 Hours, Guys. It’ll Be Ugly, But At Least We Won’t Be Dead. So Don’t Do Anything Rash.”

Leon sighed. “Talking about it will make everyone nervous, dude.”

“S-Sorry.” Taka looked to the ground.

The night time announcement played and everyone headed to their rooms. Leon was already practicing his speech for the next day. _Don’t worry, guys. I don’t wanna sleep with my cousin._ No, ew. _No matter what you hear, I’m not into incest._ Gross. Creepy. _This is true, but I don’t wanna fuck my relative._ Disgusting. There really was no good way to reveal that. But hey, at least he didn’t have feelings for her.

Exhausted, Leon jumped on his bed and decided to not think. He’d leave the thinking for the last minute, like always. It would work itself out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's literally so funny that Makoto's worst secret is that he wet the bed until 5th grade like what a boring dude but that's so funny  
> also if I was in that situation I would probably always have a constant stream of "literally shut up. shut the fuck up." directed at monokuma running through my head cause that's how I deal with annoying people


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monokuma delivers a chilling wake-up call, literally and figuratively!

“Ring-aling-ling… Ding-dong-dingi… Time to wake up! This really makes me wonder, didja sleep on the job?” Sayaka didn’t have time to wipe sleep from her eyes. She sat up and scrambled away from the corner of the bed where Monokuma stood.

“Wh-what are you doing here?”

“It’s always the same question!” Monokuma raised his arms. “I wanted to wake you up in person! What’s wrong with that?”

Knowing it was only that, Sayaka relaxed a little. “This could be seen as an invasion of privacy.” She spoke in a hushed tone.

“An invasion… An invasion of privacy?! How dare you accuse me of such a horrible thing! You’re no fun!” The bear seemed to be enjoying his little outburst. “Well, I’m spoiling yours! Are you sure you should be sitting all calm when _something_ has happened to your _precious_ friend? Aren’t you worried?”

“Something…” Sayaka trailed off, hands flying up to cover her mouth. “Oh no…”

“Well, that’s the real reason I’m here! Goodbye now!” He disappeared.

Sayaka untangled her limbs and rushed to get dressed and make herself presentable. She ran out of her room and into the dining hall. Hands on her knees, she wasn’t breathless, but the shock of the announcement had taken a little out of her. Sayaka looked up, Hina, Sakura, Makoto, and _Byakuya?_ _He usually doesn’t show up, though._

“You guys are here cause of the announcement, right?” Sayaka asked quietly.

“Yes, although it seems only _we’ve_ arrived.” Byakuya replied.

“I can’t believe…” Hina started, “someone would really kill over some stupid memories?”

Byakuya hummed. “Well, maybe to _you,_ it’s just a silly memory, but to _us_ with pride and reputation, it could crush us. _We,”_ he spat, “are not the same.”

A thin silence veiled itself over the room. Sakura cleared her throat. “No one else seems to be arriving.” She glanced towards the doorway.

“Perhaps they are corroborating Monokuma’s claims,” Byakuya paused, “or they have fallen victim to the _something_ he mentioned.” He crossed his arms.

“I guess we should go look for them, then?” Makoto suggested. The group nodded and dispersed.

Sayaka jogged to the storage room, then the laundry room, then the bath house, then around the dorm areas. Nothing like cardio when looking for a body. Everything was normal, no door open, and no one anywhere. She sped to the other part of the building, checking the AV room, the student store, even making sure the tape was still blocking off the nurse's office. Nothing. She skipped to the gym, throwing the doors open. She found Celeste walking around the gym and gave the gambler a small wave before closing the doors and dashing up the stairs.

Before she reached the top of the stairs, Sayaka nearly ran into Byakuya and Makoto. Had they both checked everything faster than she had? They must’ve moved very quickly. Makoto had one foot towards the pool doors and one foot facing the library, while Byakuya quickly walked to the pool.

Sayaka made sure to check the library, but found nothing. She rushed back to the pool doors.

“The girl’s locker room looks very suspicious.”

“Huh, suspicious?”

“Yes. It seems no one has checked there yet.” Sayaka watched as Byakuya walked towards the door before the monitor in the room flickered to life and he stopped.

“For this investigation, all doors have been unlocked!” It zapped to blackness once again.

Byakuya the door, and with no interruptions, pushed the door open. Makoto let out a chilling scream.

Inside was Chihiro, the Ultimate Programmer, once full of life and courage, now strung up by an extension cord, blood running down her face. Her body looked like an imitation crucifixion, but the word ‘Bloodlust’ on the wall behind her pushed any doubt out of Sayaka’s mind: this was cold-blooded murder.

Sayaka wanted to let out a screen. She wanted to mourn, to grieve, with her voice. But once again, it betrayed her and stayed completely silent. So Sayaka stood there, mouth agape, hands covering her eyes, pain and sadness overriding her thoughts. Their friend was dead.

Sayaka vaguely felt her surroundings. She had sunk to her knees, only now feeling the cold ground beneath her. Slowly, she propelled herself up and stood on wobbly legs, molding her face into the best mask she could handle at the moment. She looked at the other two in the room: Makoto, still gasping, and Byakuya, creepily calm. He almost looked… joyful? Excited? Sayaka couldn’t put her finger on it, but it unnerved her to her core.

“A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!”

“I Heard A Screa—Oh My GOD!” Taka’s blood-red eyes met the blood-red scene before him and he let out a yelp. “Chihiro!”

“What the hell was that?!” Makoto coughed, questioning the monitor. Sayaka looked up. _Oh yeah, what is that?_

Byakuya only crossed his arms. “Ah, that's right. You _both_ were unconscious during Hagakure's, so you don't know about it. What you just heard was the body discovery announcement. Apparently, when three or more people discover a body, an announcement plays to let everyone know. I imagine it's so the search for the culprit can proceed fairly for everyone involved.”

“The Body Discovery Announcement?” Taka gasped. “Then Chihiro Is Really…?”

“Dead?” Byakuya scoffed. “Yes. And before you start screaming your head off, go round everyone up. It seems another game has begun…”

Game? Sayaka looked back at Byakuya in disgust. This was a game to him. It didn’t matter that people were dying, no, this was _entertaining_ to him. The thought made Sayaka feel sick, and the scene in front of her didn’t help.

Gasps, “no”s called out, and fists were clenched as the other students filed in to witness the bloodshed.

“For now,” Byakuya announced, “let’s pay attention to the wall. Do you see the word written there?”

Kyoko eyed the wall. “It doesn’t seem like a dying message. It’s… too stange.”

“But ‘Bloodlust’ Written In Blood,” Taka’s voice shook, “It Sounds Familiar.”

The group recalled what Byakuya had said at breakfast one morning. _A murderous fiend, who kills again and again using a bizarre and brutal method… And at the scene of each crime, the word "bloodlust" is written in the victim's own blood. They're like a ghost, attacking suddenly then slipping away before the police can catch up to them. And what nickname did the Internet give to this mysterious serial killer?_

“Genocide… Jack.” Leon stated.

Hina sucked in a breath. “Then, this is a copycat killer trying to imitate Genocide Jack’s style? But… why?”

“Perhaps,” Byakuya’s tone suddenly took on a more sinister edge, “this is the work of the _real_ Genocide Jack.”

“You’re saying that Genocide Jack is in this school?” Sayaka asked timidly.

“Th-there’s no way!” Hina gulped.

Celeste put a finger up to her chin. “But going as far as to write bloodlust at the scene, I’m surprised at their stupidity.”

“Yeah, isn’t the whole point to get away with murder?” Leon pondered. “This just seems… too obvious.”

“Ah… Toko!” At the mention of her name, the group turned towards the door.

“A-ahh… oh-oh no…o… wh-why…?” Toko grabbed at her braids before falling to the ground.

“Sh-she fainted?”

Makoto spoke. “I vaguely remember her mentioning that she faints at the sight of blood.” 

“She’s hemophobic?” Celeste wondered. “I can’t imagine she watches many horror films.”

“Hey, Toko…” Hina waved her hand in front of Toko’s face, “can you hear me?”

Suddenly, Toko shot up from the floor in a possessed-like state.

“Sorry about that, I was just kinda shocked. Happens to everyone, y’know?”

“T-toko, are you alright?” Sayaka squinted at Toko. Her tongue was hanging out, she looked very… unalive?

“I’m fine! Never felt better! Kyehe~! Is that a dead body? Hehe! But actually! Everything’s fine, at least the stutter’s gone now.”

“It Is Clear To Me That Everything Is _Not_ Fine!” Taka pointed at Toko. “Your Eyes Seem Strangely Vacant!”

Sakura crossed her arms. “It might be better if we bring her back to her room for the time being.”

Hina raised her hand. “I don’t mind doing it, ummm…” she turned around before pointing, “Taka, could you help me?”

“Very well,” Byakuya interrupted, “you take care of the girl and the rest of us will investigate. I don’t suppose anyone has a problem with Oogami and Oowada staying on guard duty again?”

Makoto, about to ask a question, was quickly shot down by Byakuya confirming with Monokuma that there was no mastermind involvement and demanding the bear for the Monokuma file. _He really has the bear twirled around his finger, doesn’t he? How awful._ Hina and Taka carried off a strangely content Toko and everyone else got to work.

Sayaka took two steps towards Makoto, but she stopped when she heard Byakuya backhandedly compliment his skills and asked the brunette to accompany him. So she turned towards the body and tapped her glove-wearing classmate on the shoulder.

Kyoko nodded, as if understanding an unspoken agreement. Sayaka bent beside her and watched as the girl prodded gently at the body. What was she searching for? Sayaka would have to wait until Kyoko was finished. In the meantime, she had other things to look at.

_The victim was Chihiro Fujisaki. The time of death is estimated to be around 2:00 a.m. The body was discovered in the girls locker room, on the 2nd floor of the school. The cause of death was a blow to the head with a blunt object. Death occurred instantly._

_How awful._ Chihiro was strung up by an extension cord. Blood dripped from her head down her entire body. Sayaka speculated that the bloody dumbbell was the murder weapon. There were bloodstains on the wall, the poster of a model, and the carpet. The word ‘Bloodlust’ was written in an almost comical fashion on the back wall. 

That was all Sayaka could see from afar. She walked up to Sakura.

“Were you close with Chihiro?”

“No, not especially. She mentioned wanting to get stronger, so we—me and Hina—offered to train with her to help, but she turned us down.” Sakura shook her head. “It’s really a shame. Chihiro will be missed.”

“I-I see. I’m really sorry.” Sayaka ducked her head and walked up to Mondo. “What about you? Were you close with her?”

“Dude had a real complex about being weak. You heard Chihiro talk about ‘I need to get stronger!’ and all?”

“Y-yeah. I do remember.”

“Explains the trip here. It’s just,” Mondo clenched his fist, and he looked like he was about to say something before stopping himself.

“Thanks. And I’m really… I’m really sorry.”

Sayaka met eyes with Kyoko as the latter stood from her spot and motioned her over.

“You should check the body thoroughly. Also, Chihiro’s handbook is missing. You should verify it’s whereabouts. I’m going to check on something.”

“Thanks. I’ll do my best.”

“Oh and Sayaka? If you’re feeling stuck, you might want to check the main hall.” Kyoko took off without another word.

The main hall? For now, Sayaka wanted to find out where the extension cord was from, although it was kind of obvious. She also wanted to check the boy’s locker rooms. Why was a bikini model poster in the girl’s room? Not that she was complaining, it just seemed oddly un-heteronormative. Maybe the school was trying to challenge the norms? Although Hope’s Peak _was_ a rather old institution, so she doubted it.

“Hey Sakura.” At the mention of her name, the martial artist turned to face Sayaka. “You spend a lot of time here, right?”

Sakura nodded, and Sayaka continued. “Do you know if this poster has always been here?”

Sakura shook her head. “Unfortunately, I never paid much attention to that. However, there is something else that I found rather odd.”

Sayaka cocked her head. Something else?

“I always have a protein coffee after my workout. I think a few days ago, I accidentally spilled it, and although I did my best to get it out of the carpet, it left a stain.”

Sayaka looked back at the carpet. The only stain there was a dark red. _A blood stain._

“And you’re saying the stain is gone?”

“Precisely. Of course, someone could have cleaned it up, but it’s… too clean.”

Sayaka looked up. “Thank you for telling me this. That is very helpful.” She smiled at the tall girl, who gave her a small nod in return.

Sayaka exited the locker rooms and made her way left to the library. Inside, she verified her suspicions. A small lamp was perched on the table, but its cord was too short to reach the outlet. And who was always spending time in the library? Who seemed _all too eager_ to start the investigation? Who didn’t seem shocked at all at the crime scene? Who had even _introduced_ the idea of Genocide Jack, as if waiting to frame the infamous serial killer? Who had been at the dining hall that morning despite almost never joining them? And who had gone straight to the girl’s locker room, despite being a boy? Sayaka felt the gears turning in her head. Obviously, that didn’t explain why, if he _was_ the killer, Byakuya would have been able to get into the girl’s locker room, but she was confident that there was a solution.

 _If you’re feeling stuck…_ Kyoko’s previous words echoed through Sayaka’s mind. Maybe she should check out the main hall. She exited the library and headed down the stairs before walking from the dim, hued lights to the bright, white ones. Inside, she saw Hina. She waved and jogged up to the swimmer.

“Hey, how’s the investigation?”

Sayaka shook her head. “I don’t really know yet.” Almost a lie. “How are you doing?”

“Well, Toko’s a bit strange, but I’m worried about her, so I’m probably going to go check on her. And,” she looked glumly at the ground, “I’m really sad about Chihiro.”

“Me too. I never got to spend much time with her." _I hate it here,_ she wanted to say. "Were you two close?”

Hina shook her head. “Actually, I don’t think any of us girls were close with her. She seemed to get on a lot better with the guys. Not that I’m judging or anything, I just wish we could’ve hung out more. She seemed cool.”

“Yeah, she did.” Sayaka abruptly changed the subject, not wanting to let sadness overtake her. “I have something else to look at, and you said you were going to check on Toko?”

“Yeah!” Hina bounced back quickly. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around!” 

The girl left, and Sayaka surveyed her surroundings. Nothing that wasn’t there before, except a small box, which looked like a toaster turned on its side. Inside were—

“Handbooks?” Sayaka let out a small gasp. There were three handbooks in the slots. Sayaka pulled each out and turned them on. _Junko Enoshima. Yasuhiro Hagakure._ Huh? The last one wasn’t turning on. _Strange._

The monitor, once again, turned on, signaling Sayaka’s heart beat to speed up. “Erm, so ah… I'm getting tired of waiting. Shall we just plunge right in? It's the moment you've all been waiting for… the class trial! You remember where to meet, right? Please go through the red door on the 1st floor of the school! Puhuhu~! See you soon!”

Sayaka gently placed the handbooks back in their slots, and jogged towards the red doors. _Another class trial. But this time, I have a cool head. I think I know who did it. This will be over quickly. I hope._ She gathered with her other classmates, before Monokuma dragged Toko into the elevator. It was starting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning line is from my favorite childhood book called "Penguin Dreams" if you were wondering  
> next update (I super hope) by wednesday or thursday as I'm trying to upload consistently again and school is finally over so I have more time !!!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another murder, another trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw if the naming is confusing in this chapter it is because Byakuya uses last names while everyone else is more comfortable with first names

Byakuya stood towards the back of the elevator, feet planted shoulder-width apart, arms crossed proudly over his chest. The metal gates slammed themselves shut and the small box of eleven rumbled downwards.

Makoto Naegi. Would the boy be able to figure out all the mysteries surrounding this trial? If he did figure out Byakuya’s meddling, how would he react? Would he be sad? Disappointed? Disillusioned, thinking he could _save_ Byakuya? Or would he be so desensitized because of the violence thus far that he wouldn’t react? Would he drop his usual cheery smile, or would he be able to step past it and outstretch his hand to the heir? _Intriguing._

Of course, that was only part of the reason that Byakuya had chosen to partner with the Ultimate Lucky Student. He wanted to see the look of betrayal on Naegi’s face as he realized the man he had spent hours with could disrespect a dead body. Or at the very least study his expressions.

Byakuya also had to make certain whether or not Naegi was a real threat. He already had his eye on Kirigiri; she had too many mysteries surrounding her. Naegi, however, was an entirely different puzzle altogether. Byakuya pegged him as someone who wouldn’t last long in _a killing game,_ or at least someone who would scream and cry and be a huge hindrance, but the last trial had proved otherwise. He had at least a semblance of a problem-solving brain, and the other students quickly listened to his analyses.

And studying him had seemed to pay off, at least for now. Sure, he was quite… _ditzy_ when it came to discussing motives and such, and he was _extremely_ stubborn about getting everyone to work together. But his focus during the investigation was somewhat surprising to Byakuya that he just _needed to figure out more._

The elevator clunked to a halt and the metal gates screeched open, revealing crimson-red curtains against gold-checkered walls, Celtic-style pillars, and a clean, white, tiled floor. It was much less jarring than the previous royal blue.

“I’ve redecorated! Howd’ya like it?!” Monokuma cocked his head sideways, an almost innocent flicker coming from the mechanical red eye slot.

Byakuya scoffed. “Let’s get this trial over and done with, shall we?”

“Ah,” the bear commented, “you youths are just raring to go these days. Well, I suppose I shouldn’t hold you up, since you’re so ready to battle it out!” The bear roared, before ushering the remaining students to their podiums. “Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out ‘whodunnit,’ then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one… Then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate! Now then,” he paused, bringing his stubby arms to his face, “let’s start off with the murder weapon!”

Oogami started immediately. “Chihiro’s fatal injury; it appears to be a head wound.”

“According To The Monokuma File,” Ishimaru added, “The Killer Used A ‘Blunt Instrument,’ But What Could It Have Been?”

“Y-yeah. There pr-probably wasn’t a cl… a clear weapon at the scene.” Fukawa hid behind her hands.

“No,” Naegi shot back gently, “there was a definite weapon there.”

“Oh yeah," Asahina mumbled aloud, "you probably didn’t see cause you fainted cause of the blood.”

“Yeah. On the carpet at Chihiro’s feet, there was a bloody dumbbell.” Naegi answered before Fukawa could ask. “I think we can all agree that _that_ was the murder weapon.”

“Yes.” Kirigiri looked around the circle. “The wound on the victim’s head is constant with the shape of the dumbbell.”

“I s-see. You really looked close enough at her head wound to see that?” Maizono pondered.

Kirigiri gave no reply.

“Moving on.” Byakuya glared coldly at Fukawa. Why did they even take that long talking about the murder weapon? It was clear as day, lying right out in the open on the floor. It frustrated Byakuya to no end, the incapabilities of the students he was ashamed to call his peers. “I believe we all know who the culprit is.” Byakuya glanced around the circle, seeing looks of worry and confusion. Did he really have to spell _everything_ out for them? “Fujisaki’s killer is obviously the fiendish serial killer, Genocide Jack.”

Kuwata shook his head. “Just a minute. Two issues.” He held out two fingers to accentuate his message. “First, we _all_ know about ‘Bloodlust’ written in the victims blood, so that could’ve been done by any of us. Secondly, even if it _was_ Genocide Jack, who even _is_ that?” Kuwata drew an exasperated breath.

“There actually _is_ a possibility that Genocide Jack is the culprit.” Naegi jutted in. “There are _two_ distinct things about their killings. First, yes, is the message, which we all know about. _However,”_ he shot a glance at Byakuya, “the second characteristic has to do with how the body is positioned. In every case, the killer would suspend the body in a certain way, which coincides with how Chihiro was set up. And the only people who know this are high-level police and investigators, or Genocide Jack themselves.”

“But Makoto,” Kuwata started, “how do _you_ know these things? If anything, saying that indicates that _you_ are Genocide Jack, 'cause you’re definitely not high-level police.”

“Byakuya showed me the Genocide Jack case file pulled from the archive room in the library.” Naegi replied very matter-of-factly.

Byakuya nodded. “It’s true. Fujisaki was suspended the same way as previous victims in the Genocide murders. And since none of us are detectives or anything of the sort, the culprit must be the _true_ Genocide Jack.”

“You suspect one of us is a serial killer?” Celeste squinted at the heir.

“I don’t _suspect,_ I know.” Byakuya replied. “In fact, it’s Fukawa.”

“H-huh?” Fukawa gasped, feeling everyone’s eyes suddenly resting on her.

“Hold on a second! Toko is scared of blood though!” Asahina bursted out. “What kind of serial killer is afraid of blood?”

“That... is true.” Celeste added. “I find it hard to believe that a frail girl who faints at the sight of blood is capable of grizzly murders.”

“...Actually, is it possible that Toko has another identity?” Maizono mumbled aloud.

“Yeah, that’s it!” Naegi referenced the case file. “The police say that it’s likely that Genocide Jack was an alternate personality, judging from the way the suspect fled the crime scenes.”

“Correct.” Byakuya crossed his arms.

“But to go as far as to diagnose her…?” Kuwata trailed off.

“It’s perfectly acceptable. It should be clear from her strange behavior after she fainted.” Byakuya shot back.

Naegi nodded. “I agree. Her tone completely changed, and she even commented that she lost her stutter. Also, even though she fainted from seeing the blood before, she seemed completely fine looking at it afterwards."

“And how do you know for certain that Toko hides a serial killer identity?” Oogami asked.

“She told me herself.” Byakuya replied curtly.

“Toko… just told you?” Celeste brought her hand to her mouth, failing to hide a scowl.

“She came up to me right before the motive was revealed and told me a _very_ strange story. She said a murderous fiend lived inside of her and could come out and attack at _any_ time.”

Fukawa let out a pained screech. “You said you wouldn’t tell anyone!”

Asahina gasped a small 'what?'

“You promised! I can’t… I can’t believe you lied to me!”

“This is in no way my fault. Actually, you came into _my_ space first and told _me._ I didn’t ask you to. What I do with information I receive is my business. Plus, you broke your promise first. You said that as long as you were here, you wouldn’t let Genocide Jack kill anyone. But here we are.” Byakuya felt a smug grin tug at the corners of his mouth.

“You said if I kept my promise… y-you would go out with me! That,” she spat, “is the only reason I promised in th-in the first place!”

Byakuya almost threw his arms into the air. “How many times do I have to repeat myself? I never said that. But anyways, you couldn’t contain yourself, could you. The rush you felt from killing was _just too good._ Now all that’s left is to hear from the person in question.”

“The p-person??” Fukawa stuttered, eyes wide in shock. “Y-you can’t m-me-meann…?!”

“We would at least like to hear her defend herself.” Kirigiri pointed out.

“Precisely. Now do _whatever_ it is you need to.” Byakuya spun his finger in a circle.

“W-well, if you say it l-like that, then…” Fukawa pulled a trinket out of her pocket and held it up to her nose. And then she sneezed. When Fukawa stood up straight again, her eyes were distant, but then they bounced back to reality, and from a desaturated purple to bright red. Her tongue also lolled out of her mouth, and it seemed as if it grew longer. So _this_ was the true face of Genocide Jack.

“Wooh!” Genocide stretched her arms towards the sky. “Woah, why are you guys staring all crazy-eyed at me? But... it’s nice to be back, if you know what I mean!” She cackled.

Maizono curled into herself ever so slightly. “C-can you try to be a little more serious? You’re on trial for... murder.”

“Me?” The girl laughed. “I don’t know what they told you, but the authorities are too busy not doing their jobs to catch me!”

“Take a look around.” Byakuya cleared his throat. “Do we _look_ like the authorities to you?”

“No, darling, _you_ don’t. But I didn’t kill anyone, not in the past couple months at least!”

Byakuya snorted. _Darling? Who gave her permission...!_ He shook the thought from his head. “Oh? So you’re saying you didn’t kill Fujisaki? You _didn’t_ write ‘bloodlust’ on the wall behind her body? You _didn’t_ string her up like a puppet? That’s what you’re trying to say?”

Genocide looked like she was thinking for a few seconds, formulating her next words. “What, that cutie? Not my type! Plus, the whole scene is wrong!” She squinted around the circle. _Is she trying to gauge something?_

Naegi leaned closer to where she stood. “Can you elaborate?”

Genocide sprung back up and nodded. “I murder with passion and conviction! I consider myself a professional and I have a very particular way of doing things! Let’s take Mr. Hall Monitor over here as an example. You have a strict set of rules you abide by and enforce, correct? And side-stepping one of those rules would be to go against your very method of living! The same thing applies to my creations! And _that_ is no creation of mine!”

“Don’t Compare Moral Code To Murders, Please!” Ishimaru pleaded.

“Aha… moving on,” Naegi scratched his temple, “you’re asking us to spot the differences between your usual method and Chihiro’s murder?”

“Correctamundo! Can you figure it out, egg boy?!” She laughed again.

_Egg boy?_

“I think I got it!” Naegi suddenly raised his voice. “There are two key differences. First of all, Chihiro was killed by a strike to the head with a dumbbell. However, the case files said that all Genocide’s victims ended up dying because of blood loss caused by scissors. Secondly, in the photos, all the victims are pinned to a surface with scissors, however Chihiro wa—“

“Suspended with a chord.” Maizono finished. She shot a quick glare to Byakuya. _Funny, it seems like she hates me more than the others._

“Ding ding ding! You got two. Out of three!” Genocide winked. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, although I don’t know how no one picked up on it yet! I only kill _chaaarming_ little boys that happen to tickle me funny on the inside when I look at them! And little miss programmer over there doesn’t fit the target demographic!”

“I see. So it wouldn’t make sense for you, a self-proclaimed ‘professional,’ to break your killing pattern.” Naegi replied.

_He’s… surprisingly calm about this. I would think he would be one to be wary of talking to Genocide, however… hm._

“Hm.” Byakuya upturned his head. “And what’s to say you wouldn’t murder to leave the school?”

“Don’t be so quick to assume things, _lowly cur!_ I’ve evaded the police for years, and you think I’m gonna risk getting caught just to leave this cozy school? Plus, I’m not purely stupid! You really think I’d leave such a dead giveaway that leads _directly_ back to me? You’re not so bright, are you _prince charming?”_ She said the last part with extra malicious energy.

 _Lowly cur? Prince charming? Who does she think I am?!_ He could feel blood rushing to his head in anger.

Byakuya opened his mouth to speak but Genocide beat him to the punch. “And like I said before, since you _clearly_ have selected hearing! I’m a professional! I’d never leave my _precious scissors_ out of a kill!”

“Does the school even have specialized scissors?” Naegi muttered, thumb hooked on his chin.

“The school doesn’t _need_ to have them! They’re right here!” Genocide flipped her skirt up, too quickly for anyone to catch a glimpse of what was underneath, and brought her hands back up with eight pairs of thin, intricately designed scissors interlaced in her fingers. Both Maizono and Asahina let out small screams, and Naegi said something along the lines of ‘oh no please don’t hurt me.’

Once recovered, Asahina spoke again. “So we’re really gonna believe her? Just cause she says this and that, it’s really not her?”

“Yeah. Actually, something’s been bothering me for a little bit.” Naegi stated.

“Then out with it.” The heir spat.

“I... don't mean this in a harsh way, but... is it possible that you actually orchestrated the murder yourself, Byakuya?”

Maizono nodded. “Actually, I’ve had my suspicions from the very beginning.” _I see. So that's why._

“Really?” Byakuya leaned against his podium towards the two. “And when is this ‘beginning’ you speak of?”

Naegi stayed silent but the pop singer jumped at the chance. “I thought it was _extremely_ weird that you wanted to immediately look at the girl’s locker room instead of the boy’s. Considering, y’know, you’re a boy.”

“Hold on a second.” Kuwata interrupted. “What are you talking about?”

 _“We,”_ she pointed at herself, Naegi, and Byakuya, “were the first people to discover the body. We were at the locker room entrances, and Byakuya booked it to the girl’s rooms and then… you know.”

“Now that you mention it, _that is_ super weird.” Naegi added. “Why’d you immediately go to the girl’s lockers instead of the boys?” He had a pleading look in his eye, as if to say _please don’t be the killer._

“Well, it’s _obviously_ because Fujisaki is a girl. Naturally, I would’ve checked the girl’s rooms first.”

“No, that doesn’t make any sense.” It seemed Maizono had entered extreme interrogation mode. “You didn’t know Chihiro was the victim, so there’s no reason to go to the girl’s locker room. Unless, of course, you were the killer, and you already knew Chihiro was the victim.” She stared daggers into him, as if saying _I’ve been waiting for this moment._

“That’s not the only odd thing though. The whole Genocide Jack setup could’ve _only_ been one by you, Byakuya.” Naegi no longer looked at him with pleading eyes. Only the eyes of a challenger. _Of a rival._

“Your evidence is quite flimsy, I must say. I’m disappointed.”

“No, hear me out. You were extremely guarded about the entire library this entire time. And then when you asked me to investigate with you, you took me to the archive room. I didn’t know we had one until you brought me in there. So I think it’s safe to say that no one else had been in that room before.” He looked out across the circle and was met with nods of affirmation. “That being said, _you,_ Byakuya, were the only person to have any real access to the archives. You were the only person, besides Genocide herself, that had any knowledge on the killings. Since, like you said before, none of us are high-level detectives or police.”

Byakuya only nodded. _He caught on to that tiny bit of information?_

“What about this then? We already went over how Genocide stabs scissors into her victims to suspend them in midair.” Naegi commented.

“Yep!” The killer grinned. “I use my very own special scissors!” She held up her hand, proudly displaying a pair.

Celeste pondered. “And Chihiro was suspended with a rope, no?”

Oowada looked ready to punch the heir in the face. “Where’d you get that rope, Byakuya?”

Byakuya scoffed. “I’ve never seen that rope in my life.”

“No, that’s definitely wrong.” Naegi shot back. “Like I said before, you’re _always_ in the library, and whenever I went to visit, you were always reading under a desk lamp.”

“So…” Kuwata looked very deep in thought, “you’re saying the rope was actually the extension chord from the lamp to the wall?”

“Yeah. The lamp’s chord is too short to reach the outlet from where it was when I checked during the investigation.” Maizono confirmed.

“Here’s what I think. You looked at the Genocide Jack case files after Toko told you of her… predicament, and so you set up the body to imitate Genocide’s victims. However, you left out three very important aspects…” Naegi trailed off, eyes conflicted as he ducked his head.

Asahina looked enraged. “So you’re telling me that… Byakuya’s the killer?!” The swimmer’s hair stood up on end and she balled her fists.

“So it’s time to vote already?” Oowada looked unusually stressed.

“Oho? Voting time you say—“

“No! Wait. Something’s wrong.” Naegi interrupted. “We found tons of other evidence but it doesn’t even fit in? Something is definitely wrong.”

“What the heck, dude!” Asahina glared at him. “You were the one who accused Byakuya in the first place!”

Oogami shook her head. “No, he’s right. I’ve been wanting to discuss something else, too.”

Naegi paused a second. “You’re talking about the disappearing stain, right?”

The martial artist nodded.

“Care to fill the rest of us in?” Kuwata pointed to himself and the rest of the circle. Byakuya, too, was slightly confused. Although he would never admit it.

“I think…” Naegi stared straight into Byakuya’s eyes. Too deeply. _What—?_ “I don’t think Chihiro was killed in the girl’s locker room.” Byakuya wanted to look away. Naegi kept his unwavering stare.

“That’s not possible.” The blond hissed.

“Sakura told me something very interesting about the carpets. She was doing her workout, and she was drinking protein coffee, but she accidentally spilled it. And as hard as she tried, she couldn’t get the stain out completely.”

“And what of it?” Byakuya scoffed. “It’s entirely possible that someone else came along and decided to thoroughly clean it.

“Except they didn’t.” The heir flinched at his pointed words. “The carpet in the boy’s locker room had a weird stain on it.”

“What? That doesn’t prove anything!” Byakuya felt his voice rise too high for comfort. _What’s going on?_

Naegi pointed at the heir. “Then how about this? Why would the girls want a picture of a bikini model in their locker room?”

Byakuya swore he heard someone's breath catch in their throat.

“So you think that Fujisaki was murdered in the boy’s locker room… based on a _bikini picture?”_ Byakuya asked incredulously.

“How else can you explain it? Someone must’ve switched the carpet and poster from the boy’s locker room to the girl’s locker room, to cover up… something.” Naegi frowned.

“Wait a sec,” Asahina responded, “what was Chihiro doing in the boy’s room in the first place? She’s a girl.”

“Maybe she used one of the… departed student’s handbooks in the front hall?” Celeste suggested.

“No. Considering that Chihiro turned down invitations from both Hina and Sakura to exercise, she was definitely meeting with someone she trusted to a higher degree?" Naegi looked down again. "Why would she have been in the boy’s room and also turn down invites from other girls?”

“I believe I have an answer.” Kirigiri inserted herself neatly into the conversation. “Let's all take a short break.”

“Wha wha WHAAT??” Monokuma threw up his arms. He looked ready to pounce on the girl.

“Say what you will. I am requesting a recess.” She crossed her arms.” …It’ll make the trial more interesting…”

“Oh, well why didn’t you just say so! Off you go, kiddos!” The bear ushered everyone towards the elevator, allowing Byakuya to stew in his thoughts.

_Naegi caught me off guard? Impossible. There’s no way… a plebeian like him… matching me? What’s happening? Am I losing my touch? How can I call myself a Togami... if a simple, no…_

_How can he know what I don’t know?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> potential spoiler for the next chapter? (although this happens during the same time in game so not really? idk)  
> because I don't think this is gonna come up later, when Genocide was looking around the trial room, she was trying to see whether people knew about Chihiro's gender (cause y'know she didn't have her memories wiped) cause she didn't want to out him  
> 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trial Part Two!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for the short break, I think I'm going to stick to uploading on tuesdays as it works better for my schedule and pacing  
> and I'd like to thank everyone who's stuck around to watch this story unfold even though it's pretty close to the canon storyline

Makoto stepped inside of the elevator with his peers. What had they missed during the investigation that Kyoko felt they needed to see for themselves? One thing was clear: it would turn the tide of the trial.

So there he stood, among his eleven (twelve? He didn’t know whether Toko and Jack should be considered separate people) classmates, arms crossed, almost tapping his foot at the slow ascent. Finally, it lurched to a halt and Kyoko motioned for everyone to follow her. Unsurprisingly, she led them all to Chihiro’s body. Makoto winced as he lay eyes on it again. He had already had to investigate three, but that didn’t make anything easier. 

Chihiro stayed in the same position, bound by her wrists, which they deduced was Byakuya’s doing. Something tugged inside of Makoto’s stomach. No doubt the disgust at the lack of respect the heir had for a dead person, but something felt… off. Was Byakuya really the killer? He would need to watch his reactions more carefully.

“I’ve thoroughly investigated the body at this point, so I believe it would be better if one of you found the truth for yourselves.” Kyoko interrupted Makoto’s thoughts. Ah, yes. The body.

“I believe Chihiro would be more comfortable if a girl were to check on her.” Sakura inputted. “In that case, I believe it best for all of us if I inspected.”

Kyoko nodded. “Very well. And I expect you know this already, but be _extremely_ thorough. Check everything.” She gave Sakura a pointed looked, who returned it knowingly. _Everything? What’s she getting at?_

Sakura placed her hands in a praying position and bowed towards Chihiro, mouthing a silent prayer. “Please excuse this intrusion, Chihiro. I’m sorry.” She let out a breath and descended upon the body.

Makoto looked away. The thought of looking at a girl’s body, _a dead girl’s body,_ no less, without permission just felt bad. Gross, bad, wrong, everything. This all changed when Sakura let out a sharp grunt. Makoto quickly moved his gaze towards the martial artist, watching her expression twist from shock, to horror, to… anger?

“This isn’t possible!” She started, and Makoto could imagine a blue smoke coming from her eye if he squinted enough, “This is...”

“What happened? This is what?” Hina asked. Her words were frenzied, her face twisted in concern.

“This girl…is a boy?!”

Silence shook the room. Makoto felt like the deafening quiet lasted for hours before anyone spoke.

“Hold on a sec…” Hina gasped, “Wait, no way!”

“You-You’re Joking!” Taka stuttered.

Sakura shook her head hurriedly. “I wouldn’t joke about this!”

“I see. This does confirm it.” Byakuya chuckled.

The shock coursing through Makoto’s veins finally shook him from his stance. “Chihiro was… a guy?”

Monokuma brought a paw questioningly to his chin. “Oh, you didn’t know? Heck, I knew right off the bat! Chihiro Fujisaki was totally a guy!”

Sayaka took a small step back. “So that means…” She stopped.

Jack giggled angrily. “Then… he was a cross dresser?! Now I’m really on fire! Dammit! Now I wish I _had_ killed him!” She cackled.

“Hey!” Hina yelled. “Be respectful!”

“I see.” Monokuma turned to Kyoko, eyes washing over everyone. Makoto wasn’t sure she even heard the bear. “So that’s what you wanted to show everyone? Interesting.”

Kyoko stayed silent. The bear continued, unbothered. “Puhu! That certainly does make things much more exciting! Now, let’s ride this wave of excitement back to the courtroom and get back to the class trial!”

* * *

“Ahem!” Monokuma placed a claw on his stomach. “I do apologize for keeping you waiting. Now then, let’s resume the class trial! We all just learned the shock revelation that Chihiro was actually a boy! Let’s pick up from there!”

Kyoko started the discussion. “Yes, Chihiro was indeed a male. I don’t know his reasons for hiding it, but this does make Makoto’s initial assertion that Chihiro had access to the boy’s room much more plausible.”

“I suppose it makes sense. He didn’t seem to have a… feminine figure.” Byakuya looked slightly puzzled.

“Although,” Kyoko continued, “I don’t understand the motive for the culprit moving the body to the girl’s locker room.”

“The culprit?” Hina spat. “It’s obvious why! Byakuya was the culprit, and he moved Chihiro’s body to the girl’s room to pin the blame on Genocide Jack, who he knew was a girl!”

“Wait!” Makoto blurted. All eyes fell on him as he scrambled for his words. “Um… I think it’s still too early to, um, point Byakuya as the culprit? Something… doesn’t feel right.”

“Aren’t you the one who accused me in the first place?” Byakuya paused, squinting at Makoto. “Hm, well I see no reason for you not to continue.”

Makoto took a deep breath. “This may be me overanalyzing, but you seemed way too… lax when I first brought up that you were the culprit. Normally, the culprit would be looking for some kind of escape route or explanation? But you just kinda sat there.”

“Is that it, dude? He even admitted it basically, so there can be no doubt, right?” Mondo shot him an intimidating glare.

Makoto shook his head. “There’s more. Byakuya seemed very rattled when I mentioned the possibility of Chihiro being killed in the boy’s room. If he was the culprit, why wouldn’t he know the location where the murder took place? Also, _if_ he was the culprit and killed him in the boy’s room, why would he be surprised that Chihiro was a boy? It just doesn’t add up.”

“Interesting.” Byakuya held his gaze for a few seconds before nodding. “Your reasoning is… rather flimsy, but you are indeed correct. I am not the culprit.” He paused and looked around the room. Makoto wondered if he was one for such theatrics. “I just happened across the scene and decided to alter it.”

“What?” Mondo snarled at the heir. “Are you seriously fucking with us right now?”

Byakuya almost flinched. “No I am not… effing, with you right now. I’m telling the truth.”

Hina looked ready to reply but Kyoko beat her to the punch. “Let’s discuss more. If there’s any doubt, then we should explore further possibilities.”

Sayaka agreed hesitantly. “Y-yeah. We could die if we get it wrong.” She looked like she wanted to add something else but shook her head.

“Ugh, fine.” Hina balled her fists. “So we’re back at square one?”

Kyoko gave a relaxed smile. “We already know that the killer is most likely a boy, and one that Chihiro trusted enough to reveal his true gender to.”

“Isn’t there a single clue that could lead to the killer’s identity?” Sakura crossed her arms.

“No one but the killer saw him that night, right?” Mondo asked. “So we’re basically screwed.”

Makoto pointed his finger and delivered his line (with more enthusiasm than expected). “No, that’s wrong!” Mondo turned to him. “Actually, I think I know of someone who saw Chihiro the night of the murder. Right, Celeste?”

The class turned expectantly towards the gambler. “Now that you mention it, I suppose I did.” She brought her pointer finger to her chin. “And I only told Makoto about this. Which is why you are all making such ugly noises, yes?” She smiled. “Let’s see. Yes, I saw Chihiro in the storeroom last night. He was stuffing a track suit into a duffle bag. Then he headed off to exercise, I assume.”

“Well That’s Weird.” Taka mumbled. “We Didn’t Find Anything Like That At The Crime Scene.”

Sakura looked lost in thought. “I’d assume the culprit got rid of any incriminating evidence.”

“That’s when he said something that struck a chord. That he had better get going as he was in a hurry. Odd, no?”

“He would only be in a hurry if… someone was meeting with him at some time?” Sayaka pondered.

“But Hina and I invited him to exercise many times, all of which he declined.”

“I think that makes sense,” Sayaka responded, “given his circumstances.”

Makoto heard a few mumbles before letting out a grunt. “I’m… lost.”

Kyoko smirked. “Have confidence. We already have everything we need to find the culprit.”

“Huh?”

“H-how?”

“Let’s think back to what Celeste said. She mentioned that Chihiro was stuffing a tracksuit into his bag? That’s the missing connection towards the culprit.”

Byakuya let out a small chuckle. _How is this supposed to help at all, Kyoko?_ Makoto wracked his brain for answers, but to no avail.

“There are a decent variety of tracksuits to choose from. Think back on that, and you’ll find the answer.”

“Okay, the tracksuits. Chihiro was in the storeroom, and chose a tracksuit, and then went off to exercise. How is that going to help us?”

“Just think. Chihiro was on his way to exercise. Next we have to ask, why did he choose the specific tracksuit he did?” Kyoko focused right between Makoto’s eyes.

“Specific tracksuit?” Sayaka wondered aloud.

Hina lit up and placed her fist in her hand. “I got it! He picked that tracksuit to match with whoever he was meeting with!”

Mondo grinned. “So what you’re saying is that the killer was wearing the same blue tracksuit as him? My tracksuit is black!” He motioned to the rest of his attire.

“And Mine Is White!”

Leon chuckled. “Mine is orange, kinda like my hair.”

Celeste crossed her arms, “and how does this help us, exactly?”

“Oh,” Byakuya hummed, “this certainly does it.”

And at that moment, Makoto had an epiphany. “Wait a second, can you repeat what you said, Mondo?”

“Huh? What’d I say?”

Both Kyoko and Byakuya shared confident expressions, egging Makoto on. “When Celeste testified, she never said anything about the color of Chihiro’s tracksuit. But you said ‘Chihiro’s blue tracksuit,’ so how did you know that?”

“Just to check,” Byakuya cut in, “why don’t you tell us what color Chihiro’s tracksuit was, Celeste.”

A glint of annoyance sparked in her eye. From what, Makoto couldn’t tell. “Strangely enough, it was, indeed, blue.”

“And you didn’t tell anyone before the trial?” Makoto asked.

“Only you. But I never mentioned the color.”

“So how’d you know the color then?” Leon pointed a glare at Mondo.

“I-I… uh…”

“He Obviously Saw During The Investigation!” Taka defended.

Kyoko shook her head. “You said it yourself earlier, the clothes were nowhere to be found at the scene. They were definitely disposed of beforehand.”

Mondo seemed to finally unscramble his wits. “I remember now! Last night, I passed by Chihiro on his way to the locker rooms and I just happened to see the jacket sticking out of his bag!”

Taka nodded firmly. “See, He’s Innocent!”

“No, I don’t think you did.” Makoto looked Mondo in the eye. “Celeste made a point of telling me that she saw Chihiro _stuffing_ the tracksuit into the bag, maybe so no one would find out he was going to exercise. So it’s not possible that you just happened to see the sleeve sticking out.” _This sucks. Please, just give it up already._ "Plus, if you really saw him, why'd you say that 'nobody saw him' and that 'we were screwed'?"

Kyoko’s smirk got even wider, if that was even possible. “It seems you’ve dug your own grave.” She mused.

Byakuya lent a small chuckle. “But you handed him the shovel, didn’t you? ‘Focus on the tracksuit, and it will become obvious who he met with’? What a bunch of nonsense.”

“Oh, I see now,” Celeste added, “It was all a bluff to draw a slip of the tongue. That’s why you said you knew the culprit, to put them on edge.”

Kyoko nodded. “True. However, I did have my suspicions from the very beginning.”

“The very beginning?” Sayaka asked quietly.

She continued. “There was a certain turning point that tipped me off. Maybe you didn’t notice it, Mondo, but you tend to refer to men and women differently. For guys, it’s ‘dude.’ For girls, it’s ‘chick.’ Once I picked that up, it occurred to me that Mondo knew something that the rest of us didn’t.”

“Wow, that’s an extremely small detail.” Leon mumbled.

“Are you a witch?” Jack looked pleased. “You’re positively frightful!”

Kyoko shook her head, and with it, her smile. “Not me. I’m not nearly as frightful as someone capable of murdering a friend.”

Makoto turned to Mondo. “Then is it true? Did you really kill Chihiro?” He gulped.

Mondo blanched. “I-I… I didn’t kill anyone! You’ve all just been judging me, putting words in my mouth! I see how you all look at me, like I’m some kinda goddamn criminal!”

“Y-Yeah! He Would Never Do Something Like That! This Is A False Accusation!” Taka held firm.

“I suppose, my reasoning is pretty shaky.” Kyoko conceded.

_So quick!_

“However, this does present us with a dilemma. It seems we are out of leads.” Celeste sighed.

“Um, actually, I think I might have something.” Hina spoke up.

Sayaka turned to her expectantly. “You have another piece of evidence?”

“I didn’t think it was important, but I guess it’s something, right?”

“What’d you find?”

Hina shuffled her hands in her jacket pockets before revealing a sleek metal tablet. _A handbook._ “I found this. The weird thing, though, is that it’s completely broken, so we don’t know who it belongs to. It won’t turn on.”

Makoto collected his thoughts before speaking. “I wouldn’t say we don’t know who it belongs to. We know that Chihiro’s handbook was missing from the scene of the crime, right? So it’s safe to assume that broken handbook is Chihiro’s.”

“That should be obvious.” Byakuya replied sharply. “But I didn’t think the handbooks were so fragile.”

“You're absolutely correct!” The bear, who had remained silent throughout the trial, finally shot in. “My handbooks are extremely durable! They are completely shockproof and waterproof!”

“Actually, didn’t you tell us that the handbook has a weak point?” Makoto cocked his head.

Monokuma looked dejected. “You remembered that? I let that slip, but I never actually told anyone what it was…”

“Then we can only assume someone found out it’s weakness by accident.” Kyoko’s expression was unreadable. “You know what the weakness is, right Monokuma? So, what is it?”

“Huh? Why’re you asking me?”

“If you want a fair trial, this is a necessary piece of information.”

“B-but, what if I tell you, and one of you decides to copy it?”

Hina snorted. “Who would want to break their handbook on purpose?! Just tell us!”

“If you put it that wayyy…” His high-pitched voice drawled, “I _suppose_ I have no other choice. The weakness of my extremely durable, state of the art, cutting edge handbooks, is…!” He threw up his arms, “High temperatures! It’ll suffer a meltdown and tooootally shut down!”

“Dang it! I should’ve known!” Hina huffed.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Makoto asked.

“Well, it’s just,” she looked down at her hands, “it was on the floor of the sauna. So it should’ve been obvious.”

“Don’t get yourself down,” Sayaka encouraged quietly, “I think this could be really important.”

“But how did the culprit know to use the sauna?” Sakura pondered. “It’s not like Monokuma told anybody it’s weakness.”

“Like I said before, we can assume someone found out by accident.”

“Then I wonder who brought their handbook to the sauna.” Byakuya narrowed his eyes, surveying the room.

“Oh, that’s easy.” The spotlight fell to Leon. “You remember when Mondo and Taka started acting all buddy-buddy with each other? That’s because the night before, they had an endurance competition in the sauna to ‘see who was more manly’ or something.” He put the statement in air-quotes. “I happened to be around when they asked me to be their judge, so I did. And I guess Mondo really wanted to prove himself, so he wore all his clothes into the sauna. I didn’t see him take out his handbook or anything, and I sat there for at least an hour until the nighttime announcement played. I’m sure that’s enough time for the handbook to break.”

“H-He Probably Just Left His Handbook In His Room!” Taka turned pleading eyes to his friend. “Right?”

Mondo turned away.

“So that means the broken handbook in the hallway was yours, and you now have Hifumi’s handbook?” Makoto asked.

“No! It Doesn’t Mean Anything! You Have No Evidence!” The moral compass looked close to tears.

“Alright then, I’m going to go over the entire case one more time.” Makoto took in a deep breath, and he continued. “Last night, Celeste saw Chihiro in the warehouse, At the time, he was stuffing a blue tracksuit into a duffel bag. With the bag, he headed to the locker rooms. And because Chihiro is really a boy, he was able to access the boy’s room with his own handbook. Once inside, he met with a trusted friend, who would eventually cause his demise. The killer grabbed a dumbbell and attacked an unsuspecting Chihiro. The killer moved the stained areas to the other locker room, along with Chihiro’s body using Junko’s handbook. The killer then left for the sauna to destroy Chihiro’s handbook. That was the end of the killer’s involvement. However, Byakuya happened to stumble across the scene and decided to arrange the body in a similar way to Genocide Jack’s victims.” Makoto gathered his energy into one last spurt. “And the killer of this case is you, Mondo Oowada!”


End file.
